Charges Filed in Fatal Mableton Accident

Cobb police have charged an Atlanta man who was behind the wheel of an SUV that struck and killed a Lithia Springs man Friday in Mableton.

According to a Cobb County arrest warrant, Gerald Garba, 26, should not have been driving when his black 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe hit Gary Henderson's silver 2005 Honda Civic at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Highway and Kitchens Road. 

"The accused has never possessed a valid driver's license," according to the warrant. "The accused's Georgia driving privilege was suspended ... for a controlled substance conviction" on June 10, 2010.

Just before 11 a.m. Friday, Henderson failed to yield when he attempted to turn left onto Veterans Memorial Highway from northbound Kitchens Road. That failure to yield, according to the warrant, caused Henderson's vehicle to be struck by Garba's Tahoe, which was headed eastbound on Veterans Memorial Highway.

"After the front of the Chevrolet struck the driver’s side door of the Honda," Sgt. Dana Pierce with the Cobb County Police Department said, "both vehicles came to an uncontrolled stop in the westbound lanes of Veterans Memorial Highway." 

Henderson, 52, was pronounced dead at WellStar Cobb Hospital, Pierce said.

Garba was arrested Friday night on charges that include driving on a suspended license, driving with no seatbelt and affixing of materials which reduce light transmission through windows.

He was released Saturday from the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on a $25,000 bond, according to online jail records.

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