DA Perryman recovering after accident

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2020

NASHVILLE — The district attorney who was injured in a Berrien County wreck Sunday is recovering, according to hospital officials.

Dick Perryman, district attorney for the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, was in fair condition Wednesday, according to a spokeswoman for Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Florida, where he is being treated.

The Alapaha Judicial Circuit includes Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Cook and Lanier counties.

At 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a Chevy Suburban was heading north on Ga. 135 in Berrien County near Bannockburn Road while another car, a Buick Enclave carrying the Perryman family, was heading south on Ga. 135, according to a Georgia State Patrol statement. The driver of the Suburban crossed the center line and hit the front of the Buick, the statement said.

The Buick’s driver tried to swerve to the left to keep from hitting the Suburban but it was too late, the state patrol said. The Buick’s driver told troopers the Suburban did not have its lights on, according to the statement.

Aroldo Bravo-Perez, 30, of Willacoochee, the driver of the Suburban, is charged with driving under the influence, driving while unlicensed, suspended registration, failure to maintain lane, two counts of serious injury by vehicle and no headlights, according to the state patrol statement.

District Attorney Perryman and another passenger were taken to Tift Regional Medical Center. Perryman was later transferred to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

The female driver of the Buick did not contribute in any way to the accident, the state patrol said.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced the accident on Twitter Sunday, calling on Georgians to pray for the family’s recovery.