Driver Denied Bond in Woman's Death

Joshua Allen Garrison, 25, of Villa Rica was denied bond last week, according to Scott Cosper, chief investigator of Douglas County Judicial Circuit. Garrison was charged with DUI and vehicular homicide after he lost control of his vehicle Feb. 20 and crashed, killing passenger Courtney Shipp, 24, also of Villa Rica.

Garrison struck a tree with the passenger side of the car, where Shipp was sitting. Read the full Patch story here.

Cosper said a blood alcohol test found that Garrison had a 0.09 percent blood alcohol level. Georgia law considers anything at or above 0.08 percent to be illegal, and a driver can be charged with DUI with any amount higher than 0.05 percent.

"The court denied him bond because he's deemed a danger to society," Cosper said. "The DA's office recommends no bond in all vehicular homicide cases."

The next step is to present the case to the grand jury. Currently held in the , Garrison could receive 15 years in prison if convicted. He also could be charged with reckless driving after the Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team returns its report in six to eight months.

"Josh was drunk. He picked up Courtney at her sister's house and she was killed just a few minutes later," Joel Shipp, father of Courtney, said in a comment on Douglasville Patch.

"This is a tragedy; one made even more tragic given the fact that Courtney and Josh have a child together," he wrote in an e-mail.

"My daughter was one of the most beautiful, wonderful people I have ever known. She was always cheerful, smiling, and optimistic about life. She was just about to graduate from and was planning to roll her credits over to West Georgia next year. It is so sad that her young son will never know what a bright light his mother was. Our families are utterly crushed over the loss," his e-mail continued.

"It's a tragedy," Cosper said, "any time people lose a life based on the bad choices of other people. We take this very seriously. The gun in the case was the alcohol. The family deserves justice, and my job is to try and get that for them."

Cosper said Douglas County District Attorney David McDade will most likely prosecute the case himself.

"Mr. Shipp is a victim, and his family are victims," Cosper said. "We're going to get them justice. I know we will."