March 6, 2023

This story was written by Allison Carron, mother of Knox Whiten, who was a victim of a hit-and-run accident on March 21, 2021. Knox was left on the side of the road to die alone. If aid was available immediately maybe circumstances would be different. The travails of his family trying to pursue justice for Knox, through the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office under the guidance of DA Deborah Gonzalez, should never be experienced by any family.

“My son Knox Whiten was killed in a hit and run accident on March 21, 2021 in Athens, GA. I want to share my experience (as the victim) with the DA’s office in Athens-Clarke County.

We did not know the first thing about dealing with the criminal court system, so we had to rely on the DA’s office to guide us being that was our only option. The first call I got after the accident was from the Victim Advocate at the DA’s office letting me know that she would be our go to for any questions we had along the way. She said she would keep us posted on court dates and any other information pertaining to the case. That was a bit of comfort knowing there was someone there that would be with us through the whole case.

It wasn’t after maybe a week or two that of course we had questions, so I called my Advocate only to be told she was no longer there and then was given another name. I had to go through the whole introduction stage again which was never easy. She was the one to introduce us to the first lawyer that was on our case. After the first meeting, we weren’t overjoyed with his lack of knowledge about the case but once again, being the victim, we didn’t have a choice of choosing a lawyer. Well, he didn’t last long so we moved on to our next lawyer and another advocate only to go through the whole introduction stage once again.

I could continue to tell the entire timeline but I’ll sum it up by saying that through the 18 months it took to finish our case, we had five assistant DA’s and was on advocate number 4. That is traumatizing to someone that needs someone on their side to get them through the worst possible thing a parent could go through. So as you can imagine, with the turnover and change of hands, there were many times that I wasn’t even told there was a court date or not told until the night before. One instance, I wasn’t told until we were sitting in court at the scheduled time to only be told that the date had been changed.

Being a person that obeys the law, I have never been in a court situation. My family and I were appalled at the circus that goes on during bond hearings and status hearings. I would sometimes have to sit through twenty cases before mine came up and it was amazing how many of the defendants were late or didn’t show up at all. There was no reprimanding for not being at a court date on time. It is shocking!! Maybe that is normal in the court world but not making people be held accountable will only cause them to continue to take advantage of the justice system.

Now to the most tragic part of my case… My defendant had two warrants out for her and was driving with a suspended license at the time of the accident. We had two bond hearings where the Judge denied her bond. When I was told there was a request for a third bond hearing I was surprised because the Judge had made it clear that he would not grant her bond. That day was devastating because the Judge had to look at my family and tell us he had no choice but to grant her bond because the DA’s office had not filed the indictment papers within the required time. My heart broke knowing she would be out for months before the case would be settled.

After a grueling time going in and out of court we ended with a plea deal. Of course, there would never be enough punishment for someone that hit may child and left him on the side of the road to die but we could not take the chance of her getting less time if we went to trial. I honestly had no trust in the DA’s office to represent my family in a trial. I never knew who would be standing on our side representing us the days we had court and that’s sad. The only person that was consistent and there every time was the judge. Not one time in the 18 months and probably 15-20 times we were in that courthouse did I see the DA Deborah Gonzalez. You would think she would show up for a case involving a student of the University that is in her territory. She needs to show up to let people know she cares about these kids and is there for them.

Lastly, the defendant in my case is now in the Helms facility which is for pregnant women. I am to only guess that she is pregnant which would have never happened if she would not have been given bond due to a clerical error by the DA’s office. She now gets to spend some of her time in a lower security facility because she got pregnant. Wow… that is all I can say. It is time for some real change in Athens and it starts with the DA’s office. I honestly will say that as dangerous as Athens has gotten, I would not feel safe with my child at UGA right now. It is time for a DA that is there for the law-abiding citizens and not just for the criminals. They commit crimes knowing they will be right back out on the streets. All we can pray for is that our story can help towards making a change”.