A driver who hit 104 mph before causing a crash that killed a 15-year-old in Cobb County will serve seven years in prison, according to the district attorney.
Garrett Tyler Betts of Douglasville accepted a plea deal this week and was sentenced to 15 years, but must serve seven, the DA’s office said. Betts was 18 years old at the time of the August 2023 crash on the East-West Connector near Smyrna, according to police.
Investigators believe Betts was drag racing when he hit a tree, ejecting and killing his front-seat passenger, Ryan Chase Huckeba, his indictment states.
“While negotiating the right curve of the roadway, the vehicle left the right side of the road onto the grass shoulder,” the arrest warrant for Betts states. “As said accused steered back to the left, the vehicle rotated across the westbound lanes and collided with a tree in the center median.”
Betts hit a speed of 104 mph in a 45-mph zone, investigators determined.
Huckeba was a sophomore at Villa Rica High School, where he enjoyed agricultural studies, his obituary states.
“Ryan loved his friends and spent many weekends with them at truck meets, jeeping and working on cars,” the obituary states. “Ryan had an infectious smile that could light up a whole room. He never met a stranger and he was loved by many. He was kindhearted, the first to jump in and help, and he loved his sisters.”
Betts was also injured in the crash. He was later charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, speeding, failure to maintain lane and reckless driving. In December, both Betts and the driver he was allegedly racing, Caleb Hasty, were indicted.
Hasty’s case is still pending, according to Cobb court records.
Betts had been out of jail on $75,000 bond, records show. He was returned to the Cobb jail following his plea Wednesday and was awaiting transfer to prison late Friday.
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