Teenager charged with leaving scene of fatal wreck

Published 7:01 pm Monday, May 4, 2015

A Brantley teenager involved in Sunday’s fatal crash has been arrested.

John Carlton Gray, 18, a resident of Brantley, was arrested late Sunday night and transported to the Coffee County Jail. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with a death.

Investigators initially thought 18-year-old Griffin Carter Jones, a resident of the Pine Level community, was the driver of a 2010 Dodge Charger involved in the single-vehicle wreck that claimed his life.

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“After further investigation, it was revealed that Gray was the driver,” said Trooper Kevin Cook in a news release.

The wreck occurred at 2 a.m. Sunday morning on Alabama Hwy. 87, four miles north of Zion Chapel. Gray’s vehicle left the roadway, struck two utility poles and several trees before catching fire. Jones, who was not using a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jones was a graduate of Elba High School. He is the son of Starla Jones of Brantley and John Jones of Bristol, Penn.

Gray was released after posting a $10,000 bond.