Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Ovita Thornton reached a plea agreement in a DUI case last week that will not require her to serve jail time.
Thornton pleaded nolo contendere, or no contest, to a charge of reckless driving on Nov. 25, meaning she accepted the charge without admitting guilt. An amended accusation the ACC solicitor’s office filed in September stated that she “did drive a vehicle in reckless disregard for the safety of persons and property after consuming alcohol.” She paid total court costs of $675, including a $400 fine. Charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, failure to maintain lane and violation of duty upon striking a fixed object (bit-and-run) were dropped.
Thornton was arrested in February 2023 after crashing her car into a utility pole on Hancock Avenue. At the time, police said that she resisted arrest and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Her blood was sent to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab to be tested for prescription drugs, but not alcohol.
A second DUI charge against Thornton was dismissed last February because prosecutors said they lacked the evidence to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. In April 2023, Thornton’s car struck a curb at a downtown bank, and she was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of drugs. Her lawyer blamed the crash on a medical issue.
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