Wednesday, March 12, 2025–8:30 a.m.
-WBHF Radio-
Charges have been filed in a crash that killed a former Marine and Woodland High School graduate back in September.
20-year-old James Robert Duke of Rome was booked into the Bartow County Jail on February 28. He faces charges of homicide by vehicle, hit and run, and failure to yield the right of way.
On Tuesday, September 10th, at approximately 6:56 a.m., Duke reportedly drove a dark blue BMW on the Burnt Hickory Connector, trying to enter U.S. 411 to travel west. The BMW allegedly entered the highway without yielding the right of way to eastbound traffic. At that time, a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix and a 2014 Nissan Titan were traveling east in the left lane, while a 2014 Jeep Wrangler and a 2023 Indian Scout motorcycle were in the right eastbound lane.
As the BMW entered Highway 411, the Pontiac slid sideways and rotated clockwise. The Jeep stopped, and the motorcycle collided with the rear of the Jeep. The rider of the motorcycle, identified as 27-year-old Arthur Brandon Rutledge of Rome, was ejected and landed in the left eastbound travel lane. The Titan then struck Rutledge, who was in the lane. Following the collision, the BMW reportedly continued west on 411.
FLOCK camera systems identified the BMW in the area of the incident. A witness trailing the BMW confirmed it was a blue BMW. An interview with Duke confirmed that he was in the area during the collision. James Robert Duke is currently out on a $10,125 bond.
Brandon Rutledge graduated from Woodland High School in 2015, attended Georgia Highlands College for two years, and joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 2018. After completing boot camp, he returned to Kennesaw State University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked at Fizz Dispense Optimization Group before becoming a tire design engineer at Toyo Tires.
