Prosecutor withdraws offer

The charges against a young man resulting from a summertime 2021 traffic accident in Oconee County will remain unresolved for at least three more weeks.  A proceeding this afternoon at which defendant Bradley Thomas Barnett was expected to plead to charges of felony driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily injury fell apart when Barnett’s defense attorney, Joey Opperman, announced the defense rejects an offer to settle.  Opperman says his client is anxious and stressed over accepting the offer and the fair and just way to resolve the charges is to wait until next month. And with that Beth Blundy, assistant solicitor, said she withdraws the settlement offer.  As explained in the courtroom this afternoon, Barnett is left with two options:  trial by jury or a straight up guilty plea, the sentence for which will be decided by the judge.  Whichever way it goes, Judge Maddox wants the now near three-year-old case settled during either the February 12 term of Oconee General Sessions Court or a term the following week to start February 20.  101.7/WGOG NEWS has learned the victim in the incident, a low state resident, has recovered sufficiently to be in the courtroom for when the case is handled.