VALDOSTA – The Valdosta Police Department issues an update on a traffic fatality that took the life of a Lowndes County woman.
Release:
Arrested: Jonathan Bernard Marshall, African American male, 23 years of age, Homerville resident
Victim: Samantha Lynn Clark, Caucasian female, 24 years of age, Lowndes County resident
On November 3, 2024, at approximately 1:15 am., Valdosta Police Officers, Valdosta Firefighters, and Emergency Medical Services from South Georgia Medical Center responded to the intersection of Barack Obama Boulevard and Eastwind Road, for a traffic accident with injuries. When officers arrived at the accident scene, they found several people with injuries, along with a pickup truck and a passenger vehicle with severe damage.
The Valdosta Police Department Traffic Unit has continued to investigate this incident. On the morning of the accident, Jonathan Bernard Marshall, 23 years of age, who was driving the pickup truck, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after he refused to participate in a breathalyzer. Officers obtained a blood sample from Marshall, which was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Crime Laboratory for analysis. The investigation determined that Marshall had failed to stop at the traffic light, striking the passenger vehicle. Samantha Lynn Clark, 24 years of age, who was a passenger in the car Marshall struck, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
On January 3, 2025, after receiving the laboratory results from the GBI confirming that Marshall was driving under the influence, officers obtained arrest warrants for the additional charges of homicide by vehicle in the first degree (felony), failure to obey a traffic signal (misdemeanor), and failure to wear a seatbelt (misdemeanor). Marshall already had the pending driving under the influence charge, which he was charged with on the morning of the accident.
On January 7, 2025, officers contacted Marshall and took him into custody without incident. Marshall was transported to Lowndes County Jail.
“We continue to keep Ms. Clark’s family and friends in our prayers as they continue to grieve her loss.
This is a tragic event that should have never happened.” Chief Leslie Manahan.
If anyone has any further information on this case or any other cases, please contact the Valdosta Police Department Bureau of Investigative Services at 229-293-3145, the crime tip line at 229-293-3091, or file a tip online at www.valdostacity.com/police-department.
