McCaysville City Council members huddled behind closed doors for most of their regular meeting Tuesday night before firing police officer Jordan Thomas Wright.
The action came May 14 following Wright’s crash of his patrol vehicle the previous night.
Police Chief Michael Earley confirmed Wright was off duty at the time of the crash.
According to the crash report by Georgia State Patrol Trooper Greer Huss, Wright was traveling north on Friendship Road negotiating a curve at a high rate of speed when he lost control.
He traveled across the double yellow centerline into the southbound lane and off the west shoulder striking a ditch.
After striking the ditch, Wright’s 2021 Ford Explorer traveled back onto the roadway striking the rear passenger side of a Jeep Wrangler driven by Amy Jo Dearman of Mineral Bluff.
After that impact, Wright’s Explorer traveled off the east shoulder, struck an embankment and came to a final rest.
Dearman had attempted to avoid Wright by traveling into the northbound lane when her Jeep was struck and came to a controlled rest in the southbound lane.
Neither Dearman, 16, nor three passengers in the Jeep she was driving; Jason Dearman, 51, of Mineral Bluff; Toby Forest, 21, of Turtletown; nor Aiden Taylor, 19, of Mineral Bluff were injured.
Neither were Wright, 31, of McCaysville, nor his passenger, William Davis, 27, of Mineral Bluff, were injured, according to Huss’ report.
Earley confirmed Davis was not authorized to be in the city owned vehicle.
Huss charged Wright with Failure to Maintain Lane.
The report listed “driver lost control, speed related” as a contributing factor to the crash.
Dearman had no contributing factors.
The crash occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 13.
The council’s unanimous vote to fire Wright came on the motion of a policy violation by Police Commissioner Susan Kiker.