The father of a teenager killed in an alcohol-related wreck in 2011 was arrested Monday by Douglas County Sheriff's deputies and charged with trying to influence a witness in a civil case stemming from the accident.
Eric Sauls, 45, of Villa Rica, has been charged with influencing a witness and subornation of perjury, or convincing someone to lie under oath, according to Douglas County jail records. Both charges are felonies, and Sauls was being held Monday night without bond.
"Mr. Sauls is accused of offering a witness in the case a sum of money to provide false testimony in the upcoming civil case," the sheriff's office stated on its Facebook page.
Sauls is the father of Cheyenne Sauls, a 16-year-old high school sophomore killed in a February 2011 wreck in Douglas County.
Cheyenne Sauls, who attended Villa Rica High School, was a passenger in a Chevrolet Blazer being driven by a 17-year-old driver under the influence of alcohol. She died when the SUV flipped over.
The driver, Jason Lark, was sentenced to seven years behind bars after pleading guilty in September. Lark had been charged with driving under the influence and first-degree vehicular homicide.
Last month, 22-year-old Dustin Willis pleaded guilty to providing the alcohol that ultimately caused the crash and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
A total of 10 people faced charges related to the wreck.
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