Hit-and-run driver kills 20-year-old Georgia college student crossing street, cops say
10-14 UPDATE:
Donterris Gresham, 29, the man accused in the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed University of Georgia student Ariana Zarse, turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, Athens-Clarke County police confirmed.
Gresham, was driving the Honda Accord that struck Zarse as she and a friend crossed the street in downtown Athens on Oct. 9, according to Athens-Clarke County police.
Gresham faces charges of first-degree homicide by vehicle, hit and run involving serious injury or death, failure to obey a traffic control device, too fast for conditions and driving while unlicensed.
ORIGINAL:
The search is on for a driver who struck and killed a 20-year-old woman in downtown Athens as she crossed the street early Saturday, according to Georgia authorities.
The crash occurred just before 12:15 a.m. as Ariana Zarse was attempting to cross Broad Street near Foundry Street, Athens-Clarke County police said in a release obtained by McClatchy News. Authorities said the driver of a Honda Accord traveling west on Broad Street hit Zarse and kept going.
She was was taken to a local hospital where she died from her injuries.
University of Georgia’s student newspaper, The Red & Black, reports that Zarse was a student at the school and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. The organization confirmed the news Monday and remembered their sorority sister as a “fun loving and energetic person” who had won a charity boxing match just the week before.
“She was strong-willed, bold, and a true friend to everyone who met her,” they wrote in a tribute posted on the Pi Beta Phi at UGA Facebook page. “She always put in 100% of herself into everything she did, from her schoolwork to planning all of our chapter’s social events. Ari is someone who will have a lasting impact on all of our lives and we will always love and miss you.”
Police said Zarse was walking with a friend who wasn’t injured in the incident. Officers have since found the car involved but said they’re still searching for its driver as of Monday.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Athens-Clarke County Officer Dustin Tilley at 762-400-7355.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Hit-and-run driver kills 20-year-old Georgia college student crossing street, cops say."