UPDATE, 2:45 p.m. Corporal Brian Screws with Georgia State Patrol said a Dodge County deputy driving in the opposite lane of Highway 46 saw Howell's car go into his lane, as if to pass a car in front of it in a no passing zone.
The deputy swerved into the shoulder to avoid being hit by Howell's car, then made a U-turn to stop Howell as a normal traffic stop.
Howell refused to pull over, so a pursuit began.
Screws said it was a short three to four mile pursuit, with speeds reaching 110 miles per hour.
Howell then swerved to the right off the road about a half mile east of Lester Saunders Road, flipped and hit an oak tree.
GSP is still investigating why Howell tried to pass in a no passing zone and why he didn't stop when the deputy pursued him.
UPDATE: Georgia State Patrol says Charles Howell, 29, was going east on Georgia 46 in a 2008 Honda Civic while fleeing from a deputy with three other people in the car.
A release from GSP says Howell crossed the center lane and then over-corrected before hitting a tree and flipping multiple times into a ditch.
Howell was airlifted to the hospital and charges against him are pending.
Dodge County Coroner Joe Smith identified the three passengers in the car that were killed.
They are:
- 30-year-old Casey Kroesser, of Eastman. Smith says she was pregnant at the time, but couldn’t confirm how far along she was.
- 35-year-old Alicia Cherry, of Helena
- 37-year-old Jonathan Long, of Jeffersonville