Intern's death: DUI suspect, family to hold news conference

Print
E-mail

By Jeffry Scott

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The woman charged in the vehicular homicide death of a governor’s intern early Saturday morning, and her family, have retained high-profile Atlanta criminal defense attorney David Wolfe, who has called a news conference at his office Thursday afternoon. Christa Scott and her family will give statements.

Enlarge photo

Christa Scott, the woman charged in the wreck that killed a governor's intern, walks to the front doors of the Fulton County Jail as she bonds out around 10:20 PM on Monday, June 21, 2010.

Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com Christa Scott, the woman charged in the wreck that killed a governor's intern, walks to the front doors of the Fulton County Jail as she bonds out around 10:20 PM on Monday, June 21, 2010.

More Atlanta/Fulton news »

It will be the first public comment from Scott, 26, since she was arrested after police said she crashed into a vehicle driven by Jordan Griner, an intern in Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office, about 4 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of West Peachtree Street and 17th Street in Midtown.

Griner, 24, was headed home to his Atlantic Station apartment after taking some friends home after a night on the town. Griner had served as the group's designated driver.

According to incident report released Wednesday night, Scott was driving northbound on West Peachtree when she ran a red light, striking Griner's car. After Griner's Ford Mustang was struck it was facing south in the northbound lane, the police report states.

One of the first officers who arrived at the scene smelled alcohol on Scott, according to the police report. Scott asked twice if the other driver, meaning Griner, was OK, the report states.

It took firefighters almost 30 minutes to extricate Griner from his car, according to police. He later died at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Scott had reportedly left work as a waitress at Door 44, a club on 12th street, before the accident. Police said she had a blood alcohol level of .229, which is almost three times the legal limit.

The club’s attorney, Alan Begner, said Wednesday that the club is launching its own investigation but beyond that, didn't comment.

Parag Y. Shah, an attorney with Wolfe’s firm also representing Scott, said Wednesday afternoon that Scott and her mother and father plan to issue statements Thursday regarding the accident.

“We felt it was appropriate that they wait until after the funeral of Griner, out of respect for him and his family,” Shah said. “This is a sad situation, both families are distraught.”

The funeral for Griner was Wednesday in Augusta.

Shah said Scott has been with her family, which lives in Newnan, since she was released from the Fulton County jail Monday night on a $100,000 bond. She is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, DUI and reckless driving.

Wolfe was on the criminal defense team of NFL star Ray Lewis, charged in the Super Bowl night Buckhead stabbing deaths of two men in 2000. The charges against Lewis were later dropped and Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice.

Wolfe also defended Gwinnett dentist Barton Corbin, accused of killing his girlfriend in 1990 and his wife in 2004. Corbin later pleaded guilty in 2006 to the killings.

- Alexis Stevens contributed to this report