The driver killed in a fiery crash last week while fleeing Oconee County deputies was wanted for violating his probation, authorities said.
In a recent Facebook post, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office identified 24-year-old Stephen Edward Crimmins as the man behind the wheel during the Sept. 14 chase that ended on Ga. 316, and said he had been wanted by authorities on probation violation charges related to the possession of methamphetamine. He was also driving on a suspended license, the post said.
In the minutes before the crash — which also killed 20-year-old passenger Jessica Cannon — a sheriff's deputy working a security detail at a local neighborhood spotted Crimmins' SUV make a "sudden evasive move" and speed off, authorities have said. Crimmins temporarily eluded the deputy but later drove directly at his squad car with his headlights off, authorities said.
The deputy managed to avoid a crash and gave chase. While fleeing, Crimmins ran through a stop sign at McNutt Creek Road and Ga. 316 and collided with the side of a tractor-trailer.
“The vehicle was dragged for several hundred feet before bursting into flames,” the Oconee sheriff’s office said in a previous Facebook post.
Crimmins had addresses in Winder and Auburn, authorities said. Cannon was a Braselton resident.
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