A Dalton teenager who died in an early Sunday morning crash in Catoosa County was on his way back from a party and was heading to another, officials said.
Georgia State Patrol Trooper 1st Class Stephanie Maddux said Adrian Martinez, 13, was riding in the back seat of a Chevy Cobalt around 1:35 a.m. with an adult uncle and driver Dean T. Butt up front when Butt lost control of the car and flipped it over. Not long after that, Rene Preciado, 25, of Chatsworth, hit Butt’s car with his Nissan Altima.
Maddux said the drivers of both cars “were good friends.” A Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is investigating.
“The SCRT team will have definitive speeds after they do their investigation, but the preliminary investigation indicates both (drivers) were exceeding the posted speed limit,” Maddux said Tuesday.
Butt and Preciado were taken to the Catoosa County jail and face, among other charges, DUI and first degree vehicular homicide in Martinez’s death.
“They had just left a party in Whitfield County and were traveling to another party in Catoosa County,” Maddux said. “It was a 21st birthday party, not for any of the people involved, but an unknown party.”
There were four people in Preciado’s car, Maddux said, but no minors. She said Martinez’s uncle, a Dalton resident who was treated and released at Hamilton Medical Center for injuries, had apparently picked him up at some point. There are no currently charges against the uncle, but Maddux said the district attorney’s office could press charges at a later point.
Mass of Christian Burial for Martinez will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The family will receive friends today at Ponders Melrose Chapel from 6 to 9 p.m. and after 9 a.m. on Thursday until the hour of the service.
Local News
July 25, 2012
Teen killed in wreck was between parties
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