CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — The former state trooper turned mayor of Buchanan took the stand in his own defense Monday.
Anthony “A.J.” Scott is accused of causing a crash in 2015 that killed two teen girls while he was on duty. Channel 2’s Candace McCowan was in the courtroom Monday as he testified.
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Prosecutors said he was driving 90 miles per hour without lights or sirens when his cruiser collided with a car carrying four teenagers on Highway 27.
Isabella Chinchilla, 16 years old, and 17-year-old Kylie Lindsey were killed.
During his testimony, Scott said he was not using his lights and sirens. He said he was going around 90 mph but not running red lights.
“The majority of the crashes we worked, we would not respond with lights and sirens,” Scott stated.
The prosecution questioned Scott about his training and the decision to drive at such high speeds without activating his emergency equipment.
The speed limit at the intersection where the crash occurred was 45 miles per hour.
The defense has pointed to the other driver involved and the use of alcohol. Brian Blankenship, a retired state trooper, described what he saw when he responded to the collision.
“I mean, there were alcohol bottles around I guess the Nissan, I don’t remember the vehicle, buy yeah, there were through the vehicle and out on the ground,” he said.
Previous testimony showed the driver of the Nissan’s blood alcohol level was below .01, the equivalent of someone with no alcohol in their system.
Georgia State Patrol fired Scott in the months after the crash. His testimony marked the conclusion of the defense’s case, and the jury was dismissed for the day.
Closing arguments are expected to begin Tuesday, and jury deliberations could start later in the day.
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