Forsyth DUI arrest revives Lake Lanier tragedy, reveals South Carolina warrant

A rear-end crash on Atlanta Highway near Post Road put Paul Bennett, 57, back on Forsyth County’s radar and reopened memories of one of North Georgia’s deadliest water cases. Deputies said the collision happened in the southwest part of the county and quickly turned into more than a routine traffic stop.

According to the arrest report, Bennett rear-ended another vehicle and told a deputy he had drunk two glasses of wine before driving. An officer at the scene smelled alcohol on him, and the report said, “Paul appeared to be under the influence of Alcohol.” Bennett was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and later cited on DUI, traffic and open-container violations.

The arrest became more complicated when Forsyth County deputies were contacted on April 15 by a South Carolina police department that said Bennett was wanted there on a warrant. The sheriff’s office did not identify the South Carolina offense, and a spokesperson said South Carolina authorities did not want to extradite Bennett at the time. Booking records later listed the April 15 booking reasons as fugitive from justice, DUI-alcohol and a suspended, canceled or revoked registration-related offense.

Bennett’s name is already familiar in Hall County and around Lake Lanier. In June 2012, he was involved in a boat collision on the lake that killed Jake Prince, 9, and Griffin Prince, 13, both of Buford. He was convicted in November 2012 of boating under the influence, two counts of reckless operation of a vessel and failure to render aid. He was acquitted of homicide by vessel.

Hall County Superior Court Judge Kathlene Gosselin sentenced Bennett to 30 months in prison, 18 months of probation and 400 hours of community service. The court also ordered him to lose his boating privileges in Georgia and undergo drug and alcohol evaluations. Public reporting later said Bennett was arrested again on April 11, 2017, for violating probation and was given 60 days in jail with credit for time served.

For Forsyth County drivers, the latest case puts a familiar legal history back into the present: a crash on a busy local corridor, alcohol allegations at the roadside and another unresolved warrant sitting in the background.