Georgia Woman Investigated in Teen Alcohol Case

(Cobb County, Georgia) A 43-year-old Powder Springs woman, Kecia Evangela Whitfield, was arrested last Friday for allegedly providing teenagers with alcohol.

Whitfield faces charges of reckless conduct and providing alcohol to minors, both misdemeanors. Her name surfaced during an investigation into the alcohol-related death of a 16-year-old Harrison High School student, Garrett Reed.

According to Cobb Police Officer L.E. Simmons, Whitfield is suspected to be the person who provided 1.75 liters of rum to four teens a short time before Reed's death in a car accident.

Police say she bought the alcohol for the teenagers at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 23. At 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, 16-year-old Garrett Reed crossed the center line on Midway Road and crashed into a car driven by Richard C. Reyes, who suffered a leg injury.

Garrett, a junior at Harrison High School, died at the scene. He was driving after the state mandated midnight to 6 a.m. curfew for teenagers with an intermediate license.

Police are still trying to piece together Garrett’s activities before the crash. His father, Neal Reed, said Garrett may have been on his way to a friend’s house to spend the night. Noting that alcohol and speed may have been factors in the accident, police quickly focused their investigation on determining who may have provided the teenager with alcohol.

Whitfield was booked into custody Friday and released yesterday on $10,000 bond.

Tip: Glenn Wall