Clayton News Daily

By Greg Gelpi

Holiday stress, depression and accidents are keeping law enforcement busy as they gear up for New Year's.

Clayton County police responded to a murder-suicide Saturday and reported a fatal car wreck on Sunday, Clayton County police Capt. Jeff Turner said.

One man was killed and another seriously injured when the car they were traveling in drove off the road Sunday morning, Turner said.

George W. Brock Jr., 39, of Conley, was killed when David Mark Crisp, 39, of Forest Park drove his 1998 Chevrolet Camaro off the road, slammed it into two large trees and overturned, he said. The two were traveling north on Interstate 675 approaching Anvil Block Road at about 10:20 a.m. Sunday.

"We speculate (Crisp) probably fell asleep," Turner said.

Crisp was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and was listed in serious condition, he said.

Brock was not wearing a seatbelt, Turner said. Law enforcement will continue its Click It or Ticket campaign to crack down on those not wearing seatbelts and will be conducting more sobriety checks around New Year's.

"Our traffic guys will be out in force," Turner said. "We definitely want them to go out and have a good time, just be safety minded."

The holiday season also brings an increase in domestic violence and suicides, he said.

"I guess one of the contributing factors would be the stress of the holidays," Turner said.

A murder-suicide around 3 a.m. Saturday was part of that increase in violence, Turner said. Ricky Harris, 34, of Forest Park, shot and killed his girlfriend Cheryl Robertson, 38, before killing himself, Turner said. The incident was precipitated by an argument about Robertson going out with a friend the night before, he said.