A Georgia woman charged in connection with a hit-and-run in Chattanooga was upset to learn her car may have struck a man and not an animal, as she originally thought, according to her attorney.
Sarah Annette Barrett, aka Sarah Williams, 49, of Walker County, thought she had hit a deer on Shallowford Road, her attorney, McCracken Poston said.
"Sarah is devastated to learn that what she thought was a deer that she apparently struck within her lane on the very remote and unlit part of Shallowford Road, might have been a human being," Poston's news release stated.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 24, employees with Tranco Logistics LLC -- a freight company -- discovered the body of what they believed to be an unconscious man in a grassy area next to the business on the 5900 block of Shallowford Road, according to an affidavit by Chattanooga police.
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As the employees approached the man -- later identified as Paul Thompson, 55, by Chattanooga police investigators -- to try and wake him up, they discovered he was dead, the affidavit stated. Hamilton County emergency medical workers pronounced Thompson dead at the scene, according to the affidavit.
After processing evidence from the scene and filing the initial report, investigators then received a call from Poston, who notified them that his client had provided him with information involving the accident, the affidavit said.
"Poston stated that Ms. Barrett stated she was traveling on Shallowford Road in the early hours of the night before and struck what she believed to be a deer," the affidavit said. "Ms. Barrett stated that she did not feel safe and continued on to a safe area and inspected her vehicle. Ms. Barrett determined the vehicle to be safe and drove it back to her residence."
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Barrett contacted Poston after Barrett's husband told her of news reports of the fatal hit-and-run on Shallowford Road in the same area she thought she had hit a deer, according to Poston's release.
Barrett also refused to speak to law enforcement "invoking her right to counsel," according to the affidavit.
Barrett turned herself into the Silverdale Detention Center within "less than two hours of her being informed that warrants had been issued charging failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in a death and failure to render aid," her attorney's release said. "She got there so soon there were delays in finding the warrants."
"Ms. Barrett knew she was involved in a crash, regardless of whether it was with an animal or a person," the affidavit stated. "She failed to report the crash to local authorities. By not doing so, she prevented police from checking the area to look for an animal in distress or a human being suffering from injuries."
"Many questions remain about the man and why he stepped or leapt into her path on the darkened roadway, near the Vulcan facility before sunrise," Poston's release said.
"Each and every citizen deserves to be considered innocent until each element of any charged offense is proven beyond reasonable doubt," the release said. "But right now, my client is completely distraught over this and thinking of the family of the man who lost his life. Her heart goes out to the family of the man found dead near the apparent scene of impact."
Barrett, who is out on $20,000 total bond for all three charges, is due to appear before Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Lila Statom on Dec. 6.
Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.