Man charged in 2019 fatal crash involving Georgia Southern police officer
Authorities charged the Georgia man accused of causing a crash that killed a Georgia Southern University police officer in September 2019.
Blake Anthony Strickland of Richmond Hill was booked Monday at the Bulloch County Jail on charges of second-degree vehicle homicide and improper U-turn, according to jail records.
On Sept. 4, 2019, GSU Officer Tristan Michael Clemmons was riding his motorcycle in the left lane on Highway 67 near the Aspen Heights Apartments in Statesboro when Strickland, who was driving his 2014 Chevrolet Silverado in the right lane heading the same direction, began making a left turn as if to make a U-turn. As Strickland began entering into Clemmons’ path, the motorcycle struck the truck, Georgia State Patrol Post 45 Cmdr. Chris Rhodewalt told the Statesboro Herald.
The 23-year-old officer was transported by Air Evac to a Savannah hospital, where he died the next day of his injuries. Clemmons, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, was survived by his mother, a brother and sister.
The case was turned over to the GSP Specialized Crash Reconstruction Team. Strickland, 20, was released on bond shortly after his arrest Monday, according to jail records.
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Stephanie has been telling stories her whole life. Her interest in the written word started with short stories and journal entries about run-ins with classroom bullies as a child and matured to writing for her high school newspaper over the years. She has written and edited for The Tennessean, Augusta Chronicle and American City & County.
