Authorities in Georgia said a 30-year-old woman was allegedly involved in two DUI hit-and-run incidents, of which the first was fatal, after she closed from her strip club job in downtown Atlanta.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the suspect, identified as Portia Taylor, was drunk driving on May 18 when she initially struck and killed Michael Crabtree, 71, before she also hit another vehicle ten minutes later. She is accused of driving away in both incidents.
Taylor was ultimately arrested on June 11 and charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, hit-and-run resulting in death, and driving under the influence. Crabtree was from Alabama, and he had traveled to Atlanta on work duties, his obituary stated. The fatal incident is said to have occurred in the hotel district, and the deceased victim was crossing the street when Taylor fatally struck him.
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Authorities stated that Taylor’s 2013 black Nissan Altima was linked to the Candyland strip club. The suspect was said to be driving “at a high rate of speed” and continued doing so as the traffic light remained green. She later struck and killed Crabtree as he was crossing the road.
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And though Taylor’s vehicle sustained damages in the wake of the crash, she continued to drive, authorities claim. She then hit another vehicle ten minutes later and also continued driving after that crash. It could, however, not be established if the driver of that vehicle sustained any injury.
Authorities said Taylor’s car sustained significant damage, and she ultimately parked at a gas station. When authorities ultimately located her, they found an open bottle of Jose Cuervo Tequila, less than an ounce of marijuana, and two ecstasy pills in her vehicle, her arrest warrant stated, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The warrant stated that during a conversation with Cobb police officers, Taylor confirmed the first crash, but then claimed that an “unknown vehicle” hit her “twice” while she was “driving home from work.”
Authorities ultimately arrested and charged her with DUI, failure to stop or render aid, felony drug possession, and an open container violation. She was, however, released the following day after she posted a $6,500 bond.
Taylor was re-arrested in connection with the fatal hit-and-run on June 11. She was taken into custody as she was leaving Candyland, and she is being held without bond.
