WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Many people are sharing their thoughts and prayers on social media for the family and friends of District Attorney Investigator Donald Crooms, one of two people killed Wednesday in a car crash in Warner Robins.
Houston County's District Attorney Will Kendall got a call he'll never forget.
"They believed that one of my investigators was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Moody Road," said Kendall.
He dropped everything and went to the intersection.
"Once they loaded him up in the ambulance, then Captain Holland and I and then another one of our investigators and my chief went over to notify his wife, and take her to the hospital," Kendall said. "Once we got there, we had found out that he had passed away."
The Houston County Sheriff's Office says 27-year-old Kandace Jackson of Jeffersonville was driving in a Honda Civic south on Moody Road, when her car drifted into oncoming traffic.
"As far as toxicology, that has been collected and sent off, but as far as the results of it, I don't know," said Corporal Michael Dixson with the Houston County Sheriff's Office.
Dixson says Jackson hit 56-year-old Richard Crooms of Bonaire. She died at the scene.
"We talked for two or three hours," a friend of Crooms said. "We were going to go out together, get a couple of drinks, and it just didn't happen."
Joe White retired as a captain from the Bibb County's Sheriff's Office. He was Crooms' close friend and supervisor.
"There was a bond there, of course. He was a humorous fellow when it came to be funny, but when it came to his job, he was a professional and thorough. He was a master shot. Everybody liked him," White said.
Crooms was driving north in a Chevrolet Tahoe when he hit a pickup truck driven by an Elko man. The Elko man was not hurt.
Kendall says Crooms was on duty at the time of the accident, serving subpoenas for a trial next week.
"Having someone walk through the door like him every morning made us all better people when he was here. We have a void here in our office right now," Kendall said.
Richard Crooms' friends also say he loved cooking, football, and the outdoors. They say they never saw him without a smile. He was always laughing, and he adored his job and family.
Crooms worked for the Bibb County Sheriff's Office for 25 years. Then, he spent time training law enforcement at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, and an officer at Middle Georgia University. He had been with the Houston County District Attorney's Office as an investigator since Sept. 2020.
He was also a father and a husband. Kendall says he's helping the family plan funeral arrangements.