DEL.ICIO.USCOBB: HARRISON HIGH SCHOOL
Police say 3 lied about alcohol use before teen’s death
Harrison baseball pitcher, 2 others arrested on misdemeanor obstruction charges
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, February 16, 2009
Three Cobb County teenagers have been arrested for giving false statements to police following the death of fellow Harrison High School student Garrett Reed.
Trent Benson and Matthew Graeff, both of Kennesaw, were arrested Friday on misdemeanor obstruction charges. Police said they made false statements during interviews at Harrison in the days after Reed’s death. The name of the third teenager was not released because he is 16 years old.
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According to arrest warrants, the teenagers formulated a plan to make false statements to officers about how minors obtained alcohol and where it was consumed in the hours before Reed’s death on Jan. 24. Additionally, they encouraged other students to make false statements, according to the warrants.
Graeff, a pitcher and infielder on the Harrison baseball team, was named to the AJC’s All-Northwest Baseball Team last season.
The obstruction charges are not related to the arrest of Kecia Whitfield, 44, of Powder Springs. said Cobb police Sgt. Dana Pierce. Whitfield, the stepmother of a Harrison student, was arrested Jan. 30 for allegedly providing Reed and other teenagers with rum hours before Reed’s accident.
Reed, 16, died when his car crossed the center line on Midway Road in Powder Springs and slammed into another car. Police have said alcohol and speed were contributing factors in the crash.
— Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this report
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