Athens man arrested for hit-and-run that critically injured pedestrian

Dawson Bernard Welborn

By Joe Johnson

An Athens man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run collision with a pedestrian last week at a westside intersection.

Dawson Bernard Welborn, 25, of Lakeside Drive was charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury and driving on a suspended license.

The incident happened the night of Jan. 1 when a 27-year-old Crawfordville man was crossing the street near the intersection of West Broad Street and Alps Road and he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. Police said that the man did not heed a do-not cross signal.

The pedestrian was initially taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but he was later transferred to an Atlanta hospital where on Monday he was said to be recovering with multiple fractures.

An investigation by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department identified Welborn as the motorist who was involved in the incident, and he was taken into custody on warrants Thursday.

A judge set bail for Welborn at $15,000, and a hold on his release from the local jail was lodged by the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office for a felony probation violation that stemmed from a robbery conviction in that county.