A 36-year-old College Park man was arrested in the March 23 fatal hit-and-run on Dallas Acworth Highway that took the life of a 59-year-old Acworth man.

According to a public information release from Sgt. Wayne Delk of the Cobb County Police Department, the supect was arrested at his home with the assistance of the Georgia State Patrol, and charged with multiple felonies, including “Failure to Maintain Lane, Felony Hit and Run, Vehicular Homicide, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Heroin.”

Investigators believe he was the driver of the Chevrolet that crossed lanes causing the fatal accident, and that he fled on foot abandoning the car.

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

Original public information release about the crash

Sgt Wayne Delk of the Cobb County Police Department distributed this public information release about the crash, prior to the arrest of the suspected hit-and-run driver:

The Cobb County Police Department’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Unit is investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred on Dallas Acworth Highway near Bridgemont Place in the early morning of Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 2:50 a.m.

According to investigators a white 2017 Chevrolet Silverado was southbound on Dallas Acworth Highway south of Bridgemont Place when it crossed into the northbound lanes and crashed head-on into a blue 2017 Nissan Frontier that was northbound.

The driver of the Nissan, 59-year-old Robert Ellis of Acworth, was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The driver of the Chevrolet fled on foot before officers arrived. Investigators continue working to identify that driver.

The STEP Unit

The STEP Unit, which investigates serious or fatal traffic crashes, is one of the Cobb County Police Department’s Special Operations units, and is described on the web page of the Cobb County Police Department as follows:

“The Selective Traffic Enforcement Unit is responsible for investigating all fatal traffic crashes, enforcement of traffic laws in those areas which analysis indicates an elevated amount of crashes. They are also responsible for the administration and execution of the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. They also take part in special security details, and investigate crashes involving Department vehicles when requested.”