WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The two people who died in a Houston County car accident Wednesday have been identified.
27-year-old Kandace Jackson, of Jeffersonville, was driving a Honda Civic south on Moody Road. The Honda left its lane and hit a Chevrolet Tahoe traveling north, driven by 56-year-old Donald Crooms, of Bonaire.
As a result of the collision, the Tahoe struck a Ford F150, driven by 20-year-old Jesse Tomlinson, of Elko, which was also going north on Moody Road.
Tomlinson was uninjured, however, Jackson and Crooms died due to their injuries.
Crooms was a District Attorney Investigator. He served at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office from 1986 to 2011, where he retired as a Lieutenant.
He then moved on to train future law enforcement officers at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth from 2013 to 2016. He served as an Officer at Middle Georgia University Police Department from 2016 to 2019.
Crooms joined the Houston County District Attorney’s Office as an Investigator and served from September 2020 until his death.
Crooms passed away while on duty.
Acting District Attorney William Kendall wrote this in a release:
"We at the DA’s Office are heartbroken and deeply saddened by the loss of our brother and co-worker. Getting news like this, going to the scene and making notifications to loved ones is nothing short of tragic. Richard set the example for others to follow and kept a kind attitude, I know he loved his family and his brothers and sisters in law enforcement. He often would share stories about his family and children, always speaking words of love. I knew Richard to be kindhearted, fair, and motivated. He was quick to makes friends, quick to help out and seemed to always have an optimistic mindset. Richard was an asset to this Office and the people of Houston County."
Original Story
Two people are dead after a deadly three-car accident in Houston County.
The Houston County Sheriff's Office says the accident happened just after 12:30 p.m. near the corner of Moody Road and Willingham Drive.
Captain Clay Chambers with the sheriff's office said the accident killed two people.
"It appears, though it's still under investigation, that a vehicle crossed over into oncoming lanes of traffic and struck one vehicle and then that vehicle struck a second vehicle. So there are three vehicles involved in the crash," Chambers said.
So far, the victims' names have not been released..
Houston County District Attorney William Kendall said one of the victims was an investigator who had been with the DA's office for a few years.