UGA Staffer Not Unauthorized To Drive SUV Before Fatal Crash: Report

ATHENS, GA — A University of Georgia recruiting staffer was not authorized to drive the SUV involved in a Jan. 15 crash that killed two people and injured two others, according to a statement obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The SUV, a 2021 Ford Expedition, was one of several vehicles "leased by our athletic department for use during recruiting activities only," the UGA Athletic Association said in the statement. According to officials, the vehicles were to be used on Jan. 14 to take potential prospects around Athens.

The statement said recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, 24, was not authorized to drive the car after she completed work that day, according to the Journal-Constitution.

The crash happened around 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 15 near Barnett Shoals Road.

Police previously said LeCroy was driving the SUV when it left the roadway, splitting two power poles in half after hitting them. The SUV came to a rest against a nearby apartment building, police said.

LeCroy and UGA football player Devin Willock were killed in the crash, police said. Willock was seated behind LeCroy and was ejected from the SUV, police said. LeCroy died at the hospital and Willock died at the scene.

UGA recruiting staffer Victoria Bowles, 26, and 21-year-old Warren McClendon, both passengers, were injured in the crash, UGA newspaper The Red & Black reported.

J. Reid Parker, director of athletics, said in a previous statement that the group was not involved in athletic department duties at the time of the crash.

A separate Journal-Constitution report described surveillance video that showed McClendon and Willock leaving a downtown Athens strip club with two women strongly resembling Bowles and LeCroy about 15 minutes before the crash.

In Friday's statement, officials said "policies and expectations that were well understood by athletics staff dictated that such rental vehicles were to be turned in at the immediate conclusion of recruiting duties," according to the Journal-Constitution.

"Personal use was strictly prohibited," the statement continued. "Therefore, the continued use of the leased car by our staff members after their recruiting duties ended earlier that evening was unauthorized."

The athletic department launched an investigation into the crash earlier this week.

"We want the public to know that the athletic department is conducting a thorough review, in coordination with legal counsel, to fully understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic event," Parker said.