GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County realtor and mother was killed half a mile from her home by an alleged drunk driver, just minutes after leaving a celebration with her best friend.
Alicia Thomas, 43, was killed April 26 in a three-car crash at Singleton Road and Thompson Parkway near Norcross. On Tuesday, Gwinnett County police issued arrest warrants for the alleged drunk driver responsible for the deadly crash.
“I had seen her 15 minutes before this happened,” best friend Brenda Conley said. “We had spent the whole day together.”
Conley says the loss falls hardest on Thomas’s 13-year-old son, her only child.
“He’s 13 and he doesn’t have his mom because somebody decided they were going to drink and drive,” she said. “She is just a light,” Conley said. “Never negative energy, always positive.”
Gwinnett County police say a drunk driver ran into Thomas’s car as she headed home from a celebration. According to arrest warrants, Rodrigo Antonio Rodriguez Flores was driving about 75 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone, with a blood alcohol level of .119, well over Georgia’s legal limit of .08.
Flores faces felony homicide by vehicle, along with reckless driving, DUI, speeding and an open container charge. Investigators are working to bring the suspect into custody.
Thomas’s son is being cared for by family. Conley says her faith is what’s holding her up.
“I’m at peace,” she said. “I know that she’s an angel because she was an angel here on earth.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Thomas’s son.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]