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Judge's wreck under investigation
By Blake Spurney Editor
Charges are pending against Superior Court Judge James Cornwell, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
But little else has been divulged as to what caused him to crash his Chevy Trailblazer about 1 a.m. Sept. 11 on Old Highway 441 in the Panther Creek area of northern Habersham County.
Cornwell, 56, of Clarkesville was traveling south on Old Highway 441 when he lost control and his vehicle ran off the road and down an embankment, said GSP operator Jesse Thomas. The vehicle struck several trees, overturned and caught fire, which spread to the nearby woods.
The only contributing factor listed by Trooper Jason Stephens on his report is that Cornwell lost control. Stephens did not return phone messages seeking comment.
Cornwell told The Northeast Georgian that he felt fortunate to survive the accident. "It was unavoidable. A deer ran out in front of my car, and I swerved to miss the deer."
He told The Georgian that his vehicle caught fire after he slid out through the passenger side. His vehicle had just missed a parked truck on one side and a deep ravine on the other.
"After the accident, I got down on my knees as soon as I could get down on my knees and prayed," he told that newspaper. "But for another five feet, I wouldn't be here."
Cornwell, who suffered facial and hand injuries, returned to the bench Monday. A message left on his cell phone Tuesday by The Tribune was not returned.
Habersham dispatchers got the first call about the wreck at 3:18 a.m., or more than two hours after GSP said the wreck occurred. Who called it in has not been released.
"We didn't get a name, and we turned everything over to GSP," said Lynn Smith, dispatch supervisor. "It was called in on a cell phone."
By that time, someone had picked Cornwell up and taken him to his residence, where a deputy first contacted him. The state patrol, which investigates most wrecks in Habersham, was not notified until 4:02 a.m.
"We had to identify who the vehicle belonged to," said Sheriff DeRay Fincher. "When we figured who the vehicle belonged to, that's when we went to the judge's residence." Cornwell was identified by the license plate.
Sgt. 1st Class Tommy Waldrop said among the things that were under investigation is the identity of the person who gave Cornwell a ride home and what he was doing in the hours leading up to the wreck.
"We're doing everything we can to find the timeline and everything that occurred up until the wreck," Waldrop said. "That's part of a normal investigation. Anything that would pertain to witnesses or that could help us with the case is what we're working on."
Cornwell had been at Rhapsody in Rabun Monday evening. Afterward, he was among a group that went to Bon Appetit. Some of those who were with him that evening have been questioned by troopers.
Asked if alcohol was suspected of playing a factor in the wreck, Waldrop said: "We're still investigating, trying to find out what exactly happened."
Gusti Crunkleton said a lot of people from Rhapsody came to her restaurant's bar area afterward. She couldn't say for sure whether Cornwell had been drinking. "Some were and some weren't drinking. We had all kinds of designated drivers that night," she said.
Crunkleton didn't remember serving Cornwell any liquor. "To be honest, there were more Cokes and Diet Cokes being served," she said.
Monica Hunt, the person with whom Cornwell attended Rhapsody, said she had no comment.
Trooper Jody Taylor, who has been assisting in the investigation, said an attempt had been made to obtain the guest list for Rhapsody. Clayton lawyer Davis Bauman refused to turn the list over to GSP. "But we're working on it," Taylor said.
The legal limit for someone who's been involved in a wreck is a blood-alcohol content of .05, which is .03 lower than the regular legal limit for someone 21 and older. Under Georgia law, a blood sample cannot be used against someone if it is taken more than three hours after one operates a vehicle.
Cornwell twice before this year has had contact with Habersham deputies. He was pulled over for speeding on Jan. 23 and April 9. The Tribune obtained video footage of both traffic stops.
In January, Cornwell was clocked doing 91 mph and given a warning after he told the deputy he was late for a doctor's appointment. In the more recent stop, he told the deputy he was late for court, and both men can be heard laughing after a brief exchange.
But little else has been divulged as to what caused him to crash his Chevy Trailblazer about 1 a.m. Sept. 11 on Old Highway 441 in the Panther Creek area of northern Habersham County.
Cornwell, 56, of Clarkesville was traveling south on Old Highway 441 when he lost control and his vehicle ran off the road and down an embankment, said GSP operator Jesse Thomas. The vehicle struck several trees, overturned and caught fire, which spread to the nearby woods.
The only contributing factor listed by Trooper Jason Stephens on his report is that Cornwell lost control. Stephens did not return phone messages seeking comment.
Cornwell told The Northeast Georgian that he felt fortunate to survive the accident. "It was unavoidable. A deer ran out in front of my car, and I swerved to miss the deer."
He told The Georgian that his vehicle caught fire after he slid out through the passenger side. His vehicle had just missed a parked truck on one side and a deep ravine on the other.
"After the accident, I got down on my knees as soon as I could get down on my knees and prayed," he told that newspaper. "But for another five feet, I wouldn't be here."
Cornwell, who suffered facial and hand injuries, returned to the bench Monday. A message left on his cell phone Tuesday by The Tribune was not returned.
Habersham dispatchers got the first call about the wreck at 3:18 a.m., or more than two hours after GSP said the wreck occurred. Who called it in has not been released.
"We didn't get a name, and we turned everything over to GSP," said Lynn Smith, dispatch supervisor. "It was called in on a cell phone."
By that time, someone had picked Cornwell up and taken him to his residence, where a deputy first contacted him. The state patrol, which investigates most wrecks in Habersham, was not notified until 4:02 a.m.
"We had to identify who the vehicle belonged to," said Sheriff DeRay Fincher. "When we figured who the vehicle belonged to, that's when we went to the judge's residence." Cornwell was identified by the license plate.
Sgt. 1st Class Tommy Waldrop said among the things that were under investigation is the identity of the person who gave Cornwell a ride home and what he was doing in the hours leading up to the wreck.
"We're doing everything we can to find the timeline and everything that occurred up until the wreck," Waldrop said. "That's part of a normal investigation. Anything that would pertain to witnesses or that could help us with the case is what we're working on."
Cornwell had been at Rhapsody in Rabun Monday evening. Afterward, he was among a group that went to Bon Appetit. Some of those who were with him that evening have been questioned by troopers.
Asked if alcohol was suspected of playing a factor in the wreck, Waldrop said: "We're still investigating, trying to find out what exactly happened."
Gusti Crunkleton said a lot of people from Rhapsody came to her restaurant's bar area afterward. She couldn't say for sure whether Cornwell had been drinking. "Some were and some weren't drinking. We had all kinds of designated drivers that night," she said.
Crunkleton didn't remember serving Cornwell any liquor. "To be honest, there were more Cokes and Diet Cokes being served," she said.
Monica Hunt, the person with whom Cornwell attended Rhapsody, said she had no comment.
Trooper Jody Taylor, who has been assisting in the investigation, said an attempt had been made to obtain the guest list for Rhapsody. Clayton lawyer Davis Bauman refused to turn the list over to GSP. "But we're working on it," Taylor said.
The legal limit for someone who's been involved in a wreck is a blood-alcohol content of .05, which is .03 lower than the regular legal limit for someone 21 and older. Under Georgia law, a blood sample cannot be used against someone if it is taken more than three hours after one operates a vehicle.
Cornwell twice before this year has had contact with Habersham deputies. He was pulled over for speeding on Jan. 23 and April 9. The Tribune obtained video footage of both traffic stops.
In January, Cornwell was clocked doing 91 mph and given a warning after he told the deputy he was late for a doctor's appointment. In the more recent stop, he told the deputy he was late for court, and both men can be heard laughing after a brief exchange.
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