Rydal Man Surrenders To Face Charges in Athens Hit-and-Run

The Bartow County man suspected in an Athens hit-and-run that left a teen seriously injured has turned himself in to face several charges.

William Wilson Heaton Jr., 22, of Rydal, surrendered to Clarke County law enforcement at the Clarke County jail on Wednesday evening. He is charged with hit-and-run, DUI, serious injury by vehicle, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving and open container, according to Athens-Clarke County Police.

Police allege Heaton's Mazda pick-up truck hit Kennesaw University student Emily Bowman, 19, around 3 a.m. on Feb. 16, as a friend and she walked home from another friend's birthday party. They were walking on the grassy shoulder, investigators believe, when Heaton's truck left the road and hit Bowman from behind as he returned the vehicle to the road. Heaton allegedly left the area and abandoned the truck, police say.

Now a Rydal resident, Heaton works in the farming industry and has extended family in Bartow County. He played football as a junior at Oconee High School.

Police spent countless hours studying video footage from downtown Athens and various downtown establishments, trying to establish Heaton's whereabouts, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. Some footage allegedly shows the pickup leaving the scene of the accident; other shows him in downtown bars, the story says.

A bond hearing has been scheduled for Thursday morning at 8:30 in Clarke County Superior Court.

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