Dacula man charged with 29 felonies, traffic offenses for I-85 rampage

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 52-year-old Dacula man was charged with 29 criminal and traffic offenses for allegedly speeding his red 2007 Dodge Ram pickup down Interstate 85 and causing a series of car crashes, police said Thursday.

Gwinnett County police said Mike Strawn’s carnage Wednesday afternoon started with a hit-and-run in the area of Hamilton Mill Road and stretched south to Jimmy Carter Boulevard.

Police spokesman Cpl. Brian Kelly said Strawn wove in and out of traffic, intentionally slamming into some cars, with a patrol cruiser behind, until a final collision that disabled the pickup.

For now, Strawn is charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, six counts of hit and run, seven counts of following too closely, four counts of aggressive driving, three counts of failure to maintain a lane and one count each of speeding and fleeing.

Kelly said more charges are expected once investigators sort out a motive and whether drugs or alcohol were involved.