Child killed in Lowndes County wreck

Published 5:09 pm Thursday, April 20, 2023

VALDOSTA — A 10-year-old girl was killed in a Lowndes County wreck Saturday, authorities said.

At 7:38 p.m. Saturday, April 15, the Georgia State Patrol was dispatched to a wreck on Bland Dairy Drive about half a mile north of the intersection with Ousley Road, according to a state patrol crash report released Thursday.

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A car had been heading north on Bland Dairy Drive when it left the road and went into a ditch, hitting a tree, according to the report.

Autumn Schmidt, 10, of Valdosta was killed, according to the patrol report. Two other passengers — a 38-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl, both of Valdosta — were taken to South Georgia Medical Center with minor injuries.

The driver — Jodie Everidge, 38, of Hahira — is charged with homicide by vehicle in the first degree, reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, two counts of safety restraint, failure to secure on minor (7 and under), possession of open alcohol container, improper/erratic lane change/failure to maintain lane, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, littering and endangering a child by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to Lowndes County Jail records.