Gordon County Indictment Filed in Crash That Killed Dade County Man
CALHOUN, GA — A Gordon County Grand Jury has indicted a man on multiple charges in connection with a 2025 crash that claimed the life of a Dade County resident.
Authorities say 45-year-old Matthew Allen Pickens of Calhoun was indicted this week on a series of serious charges stemming from an August 2025 wreck along Rome Road (Highway 53 West).
The indictment includes:
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Felony Murder
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Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree (3 counts)
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Serious Injury by Vehicle (6 counts)
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Fleeing law enforcement
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Driving Under the Influence (5 counts) involving multiple substances
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Reckless Driving
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Speeding
Investigators say Pickens was fleeing from law enforcement at a high rate of speed, traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of GA 53 Spur, when he collided head-on with a Honda CR-V at the intersection of Reeves Station Road.
The crash resulted in the death of 49-year-old Donald Brandon Franks of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, a Dade County man who later succumbed to his injuries.
Officials say the case involves allegations that Pickens was under the influence of multiple substances, including methamphetamine, alcohol, diazepam, and ketamine, at the time of the crash.
The case will now move forward in Gordon County Superior Court as the legal process continues.