A Troup County grand jury has indicted a state trooper in La-Grange on four misdemeanor traffic offenses for a near head-on collision two years ago that seriously injured a Hogansville man.

Phillip Hanners Jr., 42, was charged with speeding, operating on the wrong side of the roadway, failure to maintain lane and failure to pass on the right side of an oncoming vehicle.

The grand jury declined this week to indict the officer on two other charges it had been asked to consider - driving too fast for conditions and criminal negligence. The latter count had accused Hanners of taking the sleep medication Ambien immediately before driving the patrol car, a “willful, wanton and reckless disregard for the safety of others who might reasonably be expected to be injured thereby.”

Robert Hendrix, 61, of Bass Cross Road and his wife, Gayle, were traveling north on Hogansville Road in a Toyota van the evening of Aug. 26, 2007, when Hendrix “looked up and said, ‘He’s going to hit us,’” referring to the patrol car, Gayle Hendrix said. “His headlights were right in front of us” and the patrol car’s blue lights and siren were not in operation.

The patrol car hit the van over the left rear wheel, she said, and the van overturned about four or five times.

Gayle Hendrix wound up with lacerations to the right arm and hand, but her husband had serious head injuries and spent about a week at Columbus Medical Center. It was a few months before he returned to his maintenance position at Milliken & Co.’s Valway plant.

Hanners, who suffered a concussion and other injuries, was treated at the hospital and released.

The Hendrix couple’s daughter, Kim White, a Troup County deputy clerk of court, said her father suffers from short-term memory loss and has restricted motion in his neck.

She said a special prosecutor appointed to the case told her parents that Hanners fell asleep at the wheel.

“He’s a law enforcement officer and he’s supposed to be out there keeping people safe,” White said.

Gayle Hendrix said the accident “changed our life.”

“We’ve just been so upset about this,” she said. “… We don’t think the charges are harsh enough against him.”

Her husband, represented by LaGrange attorney Peter Alford, plans to file suit against the state because of the accident, she said.

Hanners declined comment on the case, referring questions to his attorney, Robert Perkerson of Zebulon.

State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said Hanners was demoted from trooper first class to radio operator because of the accident. He was transferred from the LaGrange post to the radio room in Manchester and, because of a consolidation, now works at the communications center in Newnan.

The Troup County solicitor-general’s office recused itself from the case and Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker appointed Coweta County Solicitor Robert Stokely as a special prosecutor in June 2008. The solicitor said he conducted a thorough, year-long investigation, adding, “I’ve put more hours on this case than I’ve ever put in my jurisdiction, and I’m elected and paid to do cases up here.”

Georgia law requires that any charges against an on-duty law-enforcement officer, no matter how minor, be presented to a grand jury, Stokely said.

“Even if he flicked a cigarette out the window,” it has to go to Superior Court first, he said. A judge will decide whether to send it down to State Court.

Stokely said the trooper gave a statement to the grand jury, but he refused to characterize it. He said Hanners’ lawyer also was present, but didn’t say anything.

In other grand jury cases, Willie Charles Gates, 24, and Napoleon D. Truitt, 20, both of LaGrange, were indicted on murder charges in the June 7 shooting death of Raymond Junior Parker, 24, of Daniel Street. Police said a long-standing feud led to the shooting in the 300 block of Dix Street.

Gates, the suspected triggerman, also was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Brennan Joseph “JoJo” Keeth, 29, of LaGrange was re-indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, possession of cocaine, possession of Xanax and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Chief Assistant District Attorney Monique Kirby said the prosecutor handling the case wanted to modify language in the original indictment and “nothing has changed about the facts of the case.”

Keeth allegedly caused the shooting death of 17-year-old Tory Brown of LaGrange on Feb. 19, 2008, by recklessly handling a loaded firearm while under the influence of drugs.

Antonio Montrez Hamm, 22, of West Point was indicted on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, theft, giving false information and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. West Point police said he stole a handgun and shot a woman on Feb. 8.

Indicted on armed robbery charges were Johnny Lee Johnson, 56; Amy Lynn Mezick, 21, of Valley, Ala.; Gary Eugene Dustin Robinson, 18, of LaGrange; Christopher Loyd Shepherd, 21, of LaGrange; Cordarrell Deon Cole, 21, of LaGrange; Kelvin Bernard Hurston, 45, of LaGrange; and Anthony Lee Hodnett, 27, of LaGrange.

Indicted on child molestation charges were James David Howard Jr., 59, of Hogansville; Gerald Zane Clegg, 61, of LaGrange; and Milton Lamar Bowles, 35, of LaGrange.

Lorenzo Hutchinson Jr., 42, of LaGrange was indicted on charges of rape and three counts of child molestation.

Four LaGrange men were indicted on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

Marquez Deshun Amey, 17; Cadarius Jebreel Gates, 38; Deonta Jamarcus Hardy, 17; and Marion Lamonte Fuller, 17, were in a vehicle June 25 when they allegedly fired a shotgun in the direction of another male while engaged in “criminal street gang activity.”

Joel Martin can be reached at jmartinlagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.