Hit-and-Run Suspect in Custody After Multi-Agency Investigation

(Peach County, GA) - After an extensive search, the suspect in a Fort Valley, GA hit-and-run crash that killed a 65-year-old man is in custody. This was a coordinated effort between the Georgia State Patrol and multiple law enforcement agencies in Georgia and South Carolina.

On July 23, 2025, at approximately 2:04 a.m., Peach County 911 received a report of a pedestrian-involved motor vehicle crash on Georgia Highway 96. The victim, 65-year-old James Oates of Fort Valley, was struck and killed while walking with a shopping cart. The suspect vehicle left the scene without notifying any emergency personnel.

Troopers from Georgia State Patrol Post 15 (Perry) and the Troop H Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) responded to the scene and collected physical evidence, including headlight cover fragments and paint chips. Their investigation led to the identification of the suspect vehicle: a charcoal gray 2003-2007 Honda Accord with damage to the front-end and tinted headlights.

Using the FLOCK camera system, Troopers tracked a gray Honda Accord traveling westbound on Georgia 96 at I-75 shortly before the crash. The suspect vehicle was later seen in Warner Robins, GA, and again on July 24, 2025, in Charleston, SC.

On August 6, 2025, South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) Troopers located the suspect vehicle. The vehicle had passenger-side and front-end body damage consistent with a pedestrian impact, signs of repair to the passenger-side view mirror, and the right front headlight had been replaced.

The suspect was identified as Javeus Montgomery, age 23 from Fort Valley, GA. In his statement to law enforcement, he advised that he struck an unknown object near Macon, Georgia, in July 2025. He has been charged with felony hit and run and felony tampering with evidence. He is currently awaiting extradition back to Georgia to face those charges in Peach County.

This arrest was the result of a joint effort involving the Georgia State Patrol, South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, North Charleston Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff's Office, and Houston County Sheriff's Office.