More Charges Expected in Friday Hart County Wreck

More charges could be filed against the driver who plowed head on into a family vehicle Friday, killing a couple and their 5-year old daughter.

Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said Monday, Marco Hernandez remains hospitalized from injuries he received from the wreck.

Cleveland said it happened about 3:30p Friday afternoon on the 77Ext/Lavonia Highway.

Hernandez, who is from the Hartwell area,  was under the influence when he crossed the center line near the Lavonia Speedway and hit the oncoming vehicle head on.

Dead at the scene were 48-year old Jerry Cannon, his wife, 32-year old Katherine Cannon, and their daughter, 5-year old Marie Cannon.

Cleveland said, “GSP is charging Mr. Hernandez.  Right now we have a vehicle homicide, Felony DUI, and failing to maintain lane or driving on wrong side of the road.  I was told there will be two more warrants for the other two victims in the crash.  There will be a total of 3 warrants, for the vehicle homicide as well as DUI and failure to maintain lane”

GSP Trooper Nic Johnson said Hernandez was also charged with driving with no license and reckless driving.

Johnson said the only ID for Hernandez indicated he is from Guatemala but had an address out of Doraville.

According to Cleveland, Hernandez was in Hart County working for a local nursery when he took the company van.

Cleveland said, “He was driving the van that the owner of the van said he did not have permission to take.  The owner of the van was out of town too.  It’s been a long time since we’ve had 3 killed in an accident.  I can’t remember the last time.”

Cleveland said he also expects GSP to charge Hernandez with stealing the van.

Johnson said a blood tox screen was taken from Hernandez and sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta to determine his blood alcohol level at the time of the wreck.

Those results are not expected back for some weeks.

Meantime, the bodies of the Cannon family were also sent to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy, according to Trooper Johnson.

Funeral arrangements for the Cannon’s have not yet been announced.