A 27-year-old former Georgia probation and parole officer has been sentenced to 15 years, with 10 to serve in prison, after pleading guilty to killing a man in a drunken crash while driving a state-issued SUV on Interstate 20 last year. Alexis Latrice Friendly, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular homicide, DUI, having a blood alcohol level above .08 three hours after the crash, following too closely, driving without a license on her person, and not wearing a seat belt.
Judge Lauren Wallace handed down the sentence, and Friendly is eligible to serve the remainder of her term on probation, according to the Douglas County Sentinel. Friendly had worked for the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the state agency that manages the supervision and reentry of felony probationers and parolees and also oversees misdemeanor probation providers, for two years before the crash, as reported by 11Alive.
How the Midnight Crash Unfolded
The crash happened shortly before midnight on Thursday, July 3, 2025, as Friendly drove east on I-20 in the far left lane and came upon an earlier accident near the Fairburn Road exit, per the Sentinel's account. Douglasville police officers were investigating a white Honda Accord that had struck a guardrail nearby, according to WSB-TV. Friendly's black Ford Explorer, registered to the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, slammed into the rear of an orange Toyota Corolla driven by 64-year-old Alcides Barria of Columbia, South Carolina.
The impact sent both vehicles spinning, and the Explorer went on to strike a blue Mitsubishi Outlander in the middle lane before careening into a red Lexus parked on the left shoulder, according to Georgia State Patrol crash details reported by 11Alive. Georgia Department of Public Safety official Courtney Lund said the Explorer struck a blue Mitsubishi and then a red Lexus. The chain-reaction crash tied up eastbound traffic for about four hours, per the Sentinel, though Atlanta Black Star reported that all eastbound lanes near Fairburn Road were shut down for several hours and separately reported that a driver waited on the highway for more than six hours.
Victim Suffered Catastrophic Injuries
Barria was taken first to WellStar Douglas Hospital before being transferred by helicopter to Kennestone Hospital in Marietta. He suffered organic brain damage and several broken bones throughout his body, according to the arrest warrant cited by the Sentinel. Barria died on July 20, 2025, seventeen days after the crash.
Friendly was arrested at the scene by Georgia State Patrol troopers from Post 4 in Villa Rica and was initially taken to a hospital to be cleared of minor injuries before being booked into the Douglas County Jail, according to WSB-TV. She was held without bond following the arrest.
State Agency Moved Quickly to Suspend Officer
Within days of the crash, Georgia Department of Community Supervision Public Relations Manager Jamelle Washington announced Friendly's immediate suspension, saying the agency acts “swiftly and decisively” when an officer's actions negatively impact public safety, according to Atlanta Black Star.
Friendly's 15-year sentence includes 10 years to serve. Alcohol-impaired driving was a factor in the fatal crash.
