Georgia State Patrol searching for driver after deadly Fort Valley hit-and-run
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Georgia State Patrol Troop H Communications Center at 229-386-6564.
UPDATE (8/6/2025) A Fort Valley man is in custody following an extensive, multi-agency investigation into a hit-and-run crash that killed a 65-year-old pedestrian in July.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Javeus Montgomery of Fort Valley, was arrested in South Carolina and faces charges of felony hit and run and felony tampering with evidence. He is awaiting extradition to Georgia to face charges in Peach County.
The crash happened July 23 at about 2:04 a.m. on Georgia Highway 96. Peach County 911 received reports of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle while walking with a shopping cart. The victim, James Oates, 65, of Fort Valley, was killed. The suspect fled without calling emergency personnel.
Troopers from Georgia State Patrol Post 15 in Perry and the Troop H Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team responded and collected physical evidence, including headlight cover fragments and paint chips. Investigators determined the suspect vehicle was a charcoal gray 2003–2007 Honda Accord with front-end damage and tinted headlights.
The FLOCK camera system later tracked the vehicle traveling westbound on Georgia 96 at Interstate 75, in Warner Robins, and again on July 24 in Charleston, S.C.
On August 6, South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers located the Honda Accord with passenger-side and front-end damage consistent with a pedestrian impact. The passenger-side mirror showed signs of repair, and the right front headlight had been replaced.
In a statement to law enforcement, Montgomery said he struck an unknown object near Macon in July.
The arrest was the result of a joint effort between the Georgia State Patrol, South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, North Charleston Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
ORIGINAL (7/23/2025)
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A man is dead after a hit-and-run crash early Wednesday in Fort Valley, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The crash happened around 2:04 a.m. on July 23 on Georgia 96.
According to a news release, Peach County 911 was alerted to the crash involving a pedestrian who was pushing a green shopping cart. The vehicle struck the man and left the scene without notifying emergency personnel.
Peach County Coroner Kerry Rooks identified the victim as 55-year-old James Oates.
GSP is asking for the public’s help in locating a charcoal gray vehicle with a damaged tinted headlight. The vehicle is believed to have been traveling west on Georgia 96 between midnight and 2 a.m.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Georgia State Patrol Troop H Communications Center at 229-386-6564.
