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Driver in drunken rampage charged with murder

By Andria Simmons
April 25, 2013

A 70-year-old Stone Mountain man accused of intentionally ramming a series of vehicles during a drunken driving rampage was indicted Wednesday in Gwinnett County on a litany of charges, including felony murder.

Michael Owen Snider faces a total of 29 counts, including criminal damage to property, homicide by vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. His defense attorney, Christine Koehler, declined to comment Thursday about the indictment.

Gwinnett County Police spokesman Cpl. Ed Ritter said Snider had a .184 blood-alcohol level, more than twice the legal limit of .08, when he caused four wrecks in DeKalb County and 11 in Gwinnett on Jan. 23.

Snider stopped only when his 2006 F-250 Super Duty pickup truck crashed into Johnboy’s Home Cooking restaurant in unincorporated Snellville.

Killed in one of the crashes was 73-year-old Mintiwab Woldyohannes. Her daughter, 51-year-old Yeshihareg Abebe, also suffered a closed-head injury and broken ribs.

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