Woman Arrested in Wreck That Killed Teen Couple

DALLAS, GA — A Hiram woman was arrested Monday for a 2015 wreck that killed two Paulding County High School students.

Sarah Elizabeth Dowdy, 23, was indicted by a Paulding County grand jury on charges of vehicular homicide, serious injury by vehicle, speeding and reckless driving.

Dowdy was driving on June 17, 2015, on Georgia Route 61 near Old Villa Rica Road when she struck another vehicle, killing Janeal Priester, 18, and Nick Wright, 17.

Initially, police said they did not believe there would be any charges in the case and that Priester had pulled out in front of Dowdy.

But a witness came forward saying that Dowdy, driving a Toyota Camry, and the driver of another vehicle, a Ford Mustang, were driving erratically before the wreck, speeding up and slowing down as if they were drag racing.

The witness said Dowdy was trying to pass the Mustang when she struck Priester's Oldsmobile Alero.

Priester’s then-16-year-old brother, Joshua Priester, was injured in the crash.

A GoFundMe campaign to pay for funeral expenses for Priester and Wright, who were described as high school sweethearts, raised more than $17,000.

Dowdy turned herself in at about noon Monday at Paulding County Jail, where her bond was set at $27,700, according to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.

Photos via GoFundMe, Paulding County Sheriff's Office