By Joe Johnson
An Athens woman has been charged with vehicular homicide and other offenses for a weekend collision on the Athens Perimeter that killed a 13-year-old girl.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Molly A. Tully, 25, was driving the wrong way on the divided highway Sunday night when it collided head-on with another car.
A passenger in that car, Kayla Smith, died in the crash and the driver, 20-year-old Yanelis M. Figueroa of Athens was hospitalized with serious injuries, as was Tully.
On Tuesday, Sgt. First Class Tim Meyer, commanding officer of GSP Post 32, which initially investigated the crash, said that Tully was charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, reckless driving, and driving on the wrong side of the road.
According to the trooper, suspected THC wax, a highly potent cannabis extract was recovered from Tully’s car, as was a 9mm pistol.
Tully remained hospitalized as of Tuesday afternoon, Myer said.
Figueroa, who is the girlfriend of the deceased girl’s father, was also still hospitalized.
Prior to the collision, an Athens-Clarke County officer first noticed a Hyundai Genesis being driven east in the westbound lanes of the Athens Perimeter near Atlanta Highway, according to Myer, who said an alert about the wrong-way driver was subsequently broadcast.
An Oconee County deputy reportedly saw the Hyundai near Epps Bridge Parkway and tried to get it to stop but the car crashed head-on with the car driven by Figueroa near Mitchell Bridge Road.
A GSP Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team assisted Post 32 troopers in the investigation.
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