Oconee Resident William Wilson Heaton Pleads Not Guilty in Athens Hit-and-Run Case

The man is accused of driving while drunk, hitting with his pickup and then leaving to suffer a 20-year-old Kennesaw University student who was walking on Oak Oconee Street. The accident occurred on February 16.

According to a story in the Athens Banner Herald, Oconee resident William Wilson Heaton has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to the incident, in which Emily Bowman sustained severe brain damage. 

The story says that a recent court filing indicates Heaton pleaded not guilty to all charges and waived his right to an arraignment, during which the charges are read in court.

Late last month, Athens Patch reported, a grand jury charged Heaton with an array of charges. These include six counts of serious injury by vehicle and single counts of DUI, leaving the scene of a serious injury accident, failure to report an accident involving serious injuries, reckless driving, driving with an unlawful alcohol concentration, and possession of an open container in a motor vehicle.

While his court case is pending, the newspaper story says Heaton is out of jail on a $50,000 bond. He is living with his mother in Oconee County and wears an ankle monitor.

Having spent months in various hospitals in Athens and Atlanta, Emily Bowman is at her home in Woodstock, where she requires round-the-clock care.

-Compiled by Patch Editor Rebecca McCarthy