RABUN COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia State Patrol (GSP) crash report has concluded that a Rabun County sheriff’s deputy failed to yield before a collision that injured a 17-year-old motorcyclist on Stekoa Falls Road on April 18.
Incident details
According to the official GSP report, Deputy Stacy Douglas Gray was operating a marked Rabun County Sheriff’s Office Ford Explorer when he entered Stekoa Falls Road from a private drive. At the same time, 17-year-old Mickey Worley of Clayton was traveling southbound on a 2004 Suzuki motorcycle through a series of S-curves.
The report states that Deputy Gray “failed to observe” the motorcycle and failed to yield to its established right-of-way. In an attempt to avoid the collision, Worley abruptly applied the brakes and steered into the opposite lane; however, the motorcycle struck the patrol vehicle’s front bumper. The impact threw Worley over the patrol vehicle. He was subsequently transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center by Rabun County EMS with reported injuries.
Officer and witness statements
Deputy Gray informed the investigating trooper that he had pulled over to monitor traffic following complaints about speeding motorcycles. He stated that after approximately 20 minutes, he slowly entered the roadway, checking for traffic, and only saw the motorcycle at the last moment.
The trooper noted that a steep embankment on the road’s northern shoulder significantly limited visibility, measuring the sight distance from Gray’s position at only 111 feet.
A witness, Boyce Speed of Tiger, GA, reported hearing the motorcycle “throttle up” before going quiet, followed by the sound of the crash.
Legal actions and citations
The crash report identifies Deputy Gray as suspected at fault, and he has been cited under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-73 for entering or crossing a highway. Mickey Worley was also cited under O.C.G.A. § 40-5-20 for operating a vehicle without a driver’s license.
Following the crash, Corenlia attorney Gus McDonald, representing the Worley family, issued a formal notice to Rabun County Sheriff Mark Gerrells to preserve all evidence, including the patrol vehicle, electronic data, and dash camera footage. The legal notice warns against any repairs or modifications to the vehicle until an independent inspection is completed. Sheriff Gerrells did not return a call requesting a comment on the crash involving his deputy.
