GA House Whip To Step Down Ahead Of Reckless-Conduct Ruling

GEORGIA — Republican House Majority Whip Trey Kelley emailed colleagues Thursday night to let them know he’s stepping down from leadership but will stay on as a state representative.

Kelley’s decision, first reported and confirmed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, comes just ahead of a judge’s ruling whether to throw out a reckless-conduct charge against Kelley connected to a friend’s fatal hit-and-run accident.

Kelley, a Cedartown Republican who represents much of Bartow, Haralson and Polk counties, is charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, essentially for not calling 911 as soon as he realized a friend and client may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident. The victim of the accident, Eric Keais, lay in a ditch for about an hour before help arrived; he died in a hospital about 45 minutes later.

During a June 4 hearing in Polk County, Kelley’s lawyer argued the charge should be dropped because Kelley was only indirectly involved and because the indictment was “constitutionally vague.”

Judge Stephen Schuster asked both parties at the time to submit potential orders by July 8 related to the charge against Kelley. If Schuster sides with Kelley's defense and quashes his first reckless-conduct indictment, the prosecution is expected to restructure the indictment and try again.

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• GA House Whip Aims To Quash Reckless Conduct Charge In Bike Death
• July Ruling Expected On Reckless-Conduct Charge Against Kelley