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Man sentenced for 2017 wreck that injured a Forsyth County deputy
deputy wreck
Courtesy Forsyth County Sheriffs Office

A man responsible for a wreck that left one Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office deputy with serious injuries in late 2017 has pled guilty and been sentenced to time in prison by the Forsyth County Superior Court.

Aaron Riley Russell, 28, pleaded guilty to two felonies – habitual impaired driving and serious injury by vehicle – on Wednesday, April 17, according to Forsyth County court records.

Russell, Aaron Riley.JPG
Aaron Riley Russell

Russell was sentenced to five years in prison and 10 years of probation by Superior Court Judge David L. Dickinson.

According to Forsyth County District Attorney Penny Penn, Reeves was present for the plea, but did not address the court.

Russell was originally charged with multiple felony and traffic offenses in 2017, after he drove a 2005 Ford Explorer down Ga. 400 while under the influence and struck the patrol vehicle of sheriff’s deputy Rod Reeves, critically injuring the deputy.

“Deputy First Class Rod Reeves was sitting in his marked patrol car on the shoulder of Ga. 400 working traffic enforcement when a 2005 Ford Explorer struck the rear of his patrol car,” Cpl. Doug Rainwater with the sheriff’s office said at the time of the wreck. “Reeves received some very serious and significant injuries and was transported to an area hospital.”

Rainwater said that it was later discovered that Russell, a “habitual offender,” was driving under the influence with a suspended and revoked Georgia driver’s license.

Both Reeves and Russell were rushed to local hospitals after the wreck. Russell was later booked into the Forsyth County Jail after his discharge.

Authorities say that in the time since the wreck, Reeves has made a full recovery and has returned to work with the sheriff’s office.