Jovany Morales

Name:
Morales, Jovany

Date of Booking:
08/30/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
Fail To Yield While Turning Left

Hit and Run; Duty of Driver to Stop or Return to Scene of Accident

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On August 29, 2026, I responded code 3 to the area of Atlanta Hwy SE and Glenn Jackson Rd in reference to a motor vehicle accident with injuries.

While I was en route, Statham police units responded to the scene because it occurred right out of their jurisdiction. Once Statham Officer Smith arrived, he was told the black RAM 1500 truck had left the scene and went down a private drive where the crash happened. Statham Officer Smith went down the drive, and he observed a black Ram 1500 truck bearing Ga tag # [REDACTED] parked on the side of the house. Officer Smith observed a male behind the truck, and once the male saw him, he took off running inside the house. Officer Smith made contact with the driver of the black truck, identified as Jovany Morales.

I arrived on the scene and went to [2100 BLOCK] Atlanta Hwy SE, where Officer Smith was located. Officer Smith had detained Jovany in the back of his marked patrol vehicle. I then talked to [REDACTED]; she stated that she and Jovany were friends. When I asked [REDACTED] if she was in the truck when it was involved in the accident and, she stated, “I don’t know what’s happening right now”. I asked her again, and she stated, “I don’t know”.

Officer Smith advised me that he smelled the odor of alcohol on Jovany’s breath. I then walked out to the patrol car that Jovany was in and told him who I was. I then read Jovany his Miranda rights, and he advised me that he did not wish to talk to me.

The witness observed the truck drive down the private drive and the front-end damage to the truck. When I touched the truck’s hood, it was hot to the touch and had been driven recently. The way Jovany was acting when Officer Smith pulled up, I had probable cause that Jovany was the driver, and I placed him under arrest for hit-and-run and failure to yield while turning left.

I then advised Jovany to step out of Officer Smith’s patrol vehicle, and I swapped handcuffs. The handcuffs were double-locked and checked for proper fit. I advised him he was under arrest for hit-and-run and failure to yield while turning left. I then searched Jovany incident to arrest, yielding no results. I then placed him in the rear of my patrol car with the seatbelt in use.

While we were walking to my car, he stated multiple times, “Are they all right?”. As we were pulling back up to where the accident happened, he asked me again, “Are they all right?” referring to the people he hit in his truck.

I then transported Jovany to north east medical center barrow so he could be medically cleared so the jail would accept him when we arrived. He stated again, “Are they all right?”. And that he “messed up” at the hospital.

Jovany was then transported to the Barrow County Detention Center without incident and was turned over to jail staff. The backseat of my patrol vehicle was checked before and after yield no contraband.

I issued citation # 142405 O.C.G.A 40-6-270 (a) Hit and Run, as well as Citation #142406 O.C.G.A 40-6-71 failing to yield when turning left.

[End of Narrative]