CEDARTOWN, Ga. — A judge found a man guilty this week in the controversial hit-and-run death of a Polk County man almost four years ago. The driver admitted under oath to leaving the scene and not calling for help.
A judge convicted Ralph "Ryan" Dover of felony hit-and-run resulting in serious injury or death and misdemeanor reckless conduct charges in connection with the September 2019 death of Eric Keais.
Dover hit Keais while he rode on his bicycle on North Main Street in Cedartown. 11Alive investigators previously reported Dover drove almost a mile and instead of calling 911, when he called a friend, Georgia Rep. Trey Kelley.
Kelley didn't call for help. He called Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome at home while he was off duty. Court records show Newsome also didn't call 911 but asked one of his sergeants to meet two men near the scene.
An officer found Keais clinging to life in a ditch more than an hour after the crash. The prosecutor said Keais' death could have been prevented if he got help sooner.
Kelley was indicted on a reckless conduct charge after not immediately calling 911 to report the crash, constituting a "gross deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise in the situation," the indictment said. That charge was later dropped.
The maximum penalty for the hit-and-run charge is five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for August 29.