Driver arrested
An Eatonton man accused of being at fault in a December fatality turned himself into authorities Monday and was arrested on a litany of charges.
Gregory Austin Meyer, 31, of Eatonton, wheeled himself into Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in a wheelchair and was charged with felony homicide by vehicle in the first degree, serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on the wrong side of the road, reckless driving, driving with no headlights at night, open container in vehicle, two counts of probation violation, and not using a seat belt, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills and Putnam County jail reports.
Sills said Meyer has already been indicted on all of the charges and was released on a total of $20,000 in property bonds so he could still go to his medical appointments and physical therapy as he continues to recover from injuries suffered in the wreck.
The head-on collision happened around 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 5 at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 441 and Griffith Road in Putnam County. Kayla Marie Lewis, 37, of Abbeville, S.C., was killed in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene.
Lewis was driving a 2013 Nissan Altima southbound on Hwy. 441 when her car was struck by a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Meyers, with Deshawn Mosley riding as a passenger. When Deputy Mark Adams arrived on the scene, he reportedly discovered the Altima partially in the roadway and the Suburban overturned.
Meyer and Mosley were taken by ambulance to Piedmont-Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens. Mosley was treated and released, but Meyer was in critical condition.
Sheriff Sills said a test conducted by hospital medical personnel revealed Meyer’s blood alcohol level was .19 when he was brought in by the ambulance from the wreck scene.
Driver sought
Authorities are still searching for another driver who is also facing charges of felony homicide by vehicle but from a different fatality.
“He knows we’re looking for him, but he didn’t turn himself in when he was released from the hospital. He’s on the run,” Sills said. “If anyone knows where he is, please call Putnam County Sheriff’s Office because we want a piece of (him).”
The fugitive, Joshua Lloyd Bruinekool, 44, of Eatonton, was the driver of a Dodge Dakota pickup involved in a single-vehicle crash on Feb. 13, Sills said.
Bruinekool and two passengers, Justin Jay Harvey, 35, and Jessica Shawn Walton, 43, were traveling north on Harmony Road around 10:30 p.m. when the Dodge truck went off the road, crashed into a tree, and turned over on its side. Walton was killed in the crash, and Bruinekool and Harvey were flown by medical helicopter to Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center in Macon.
They were released on Feb. 20, and Sills obtained warrants for Bruinekool’s arrest.
Anyone who has seen Bruinekool or knows about his whereabouts may call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 706- 485-8557.