Sheriff's Office Arrests Suspects In Canton Bus Hit And Run

CANTON, GA — The Cherokee Sheriff's Office has arrested two people after they were involved in a school bus crash on Tuesday on Hightower Road, the department said.

Just before 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 1, the school bus was traveling near Hwy 369 just east of Hwy 372 when a Honda Accord crossed the center line and hit the bus.

Cherokee Sheriff's spokesman Jay Baker said the driver of the Honda ran away and had not been found at the time.

Only one student was onboard but was not hurt and neither was the bus driver, the sheriff's office said.

On Thursday morning, deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle call on Sparks Lane off Yellow Creek Road. A resident reported she saw a suspicious vehicle near the end of Sparks Lane and a white female near the truck who had a head injury, the department said.

A white male, later identified as Jordan Payne, 22, of Dawsonville, emerged from the woods near the truck. Baker said a second male driving an Acura SUV arrived, and both males and the female left the area abandoning the pickup truck on Sparks Lane. Deputies arrived and determined the truck was stolen from Dawson County.

Later that morning, deputies got a call that the injured female was with authorities in Dawson County. Deputies made contact with the female and determined she had been reportedly assaulted by Payne in Cherokee County, Baker said.

Deputies secured arrests arrest warrants for Payne for aggravated assault by strangulation, kidnapping, two counts of battery, simple battery and simple assault. They then went to an address in Forsyth County where Payne was taken into custody Thursday afternoon, the department said.

Detectives and traffic investigators obtained enough evidence to secure warrants for Timothy Kimbarl, 17, of Dahlonega. Kimbarl turned himself in to deputies Friday morning at the Cherokee Sheriff's Office headquarters, Baker said.

Kimbarl is suspected of being the driver of the Honda Accord that fled on foot after striking the school bus Tuesday morning. Kimbarl had injuries to his face and later admitting he was the driver of the Honda that struck the bus, the department said.

He is also charged with stealing the Chevrolet van after the accident. That van was recovered in Dawson County this morning.

Kimbarl has been charged with failure to maintain lane, driving while license expired, violation of CP license, affixing tag to misrepresent, unregistered vehicle, no insurance, hit and run, and theft of Motor Vehicle.

Both males are currently in custody at the Cherokee Adult Detention Center. Payne is being held without bond. Kimbarl's bond is set at $8,495.