Man Charged With DUI In Fatal Cherokee County Crash

ACWORTH, GA — The Cherokee Sheriff's Office has charged an Acworth man in connection to a fatal collision reported in April along Highway 92 in the southwestern part of the county.

Paul Allen Barnes is charged with vehicular homicide in the first degree, driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, seat belt violation and possession of controlled substance, the agency said Monday afternoon.

The accident Barnes is accused of causing was reported at 11:51 p.m. April 13 on Highway 92 just west of Wade Green Road. Sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley said Barnes, 26 at the time, and the passenger, Jerry Nikkole Acklin, 22, of Acworth, were both ejected from an overturned Jeep Wrangler and transported to area hospitals for treatment.

While the accident was under investigation, Acklin died April 19 of her injuries. The sheriff's office's Traffic Enforcement Unit submitted test results to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Upon conclusion of the investigation and with those results in hand, Barnes was arrested Saturday, July 21, Sgt. Kelley said.

Barnes was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center and released on a bond of $16,906.

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Photo: Paul Allen Barnes. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office