A driver who killed a decorated Army Ranger and Georgia Southern ROTC instructor in Effingham County has been sentenced.
Investigators with the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit arrested 21-year-old Jadon Demani Mike in November 2024 for a March 2024 crash that killed 34-year-old Christopher Decker. Decker was traveling on a motorcycle on Highway 21 in Effingham County when he was struck by Mike, who failed to yield while turning. The crash happened in front of the Sheriff’s Office and was captured on camera. During the crash investigation, law enforcement officers identified an odor of burnt marijuana inside Mike’s vehicle.
Following an investigation, Mike was charged with Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, and Failure to Yield. In Georgia, Homicide by Vehicle rises to felony offense when a driver causes the death of someone else while also committing the act of Reckless Driving, DUI, Improperly Passing a School Bus, Fleeing/Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, or Driving as a Habitual Violator. It’s punishable by three to fifteen years in prison.
According to a criminal indictment filed in Effingham County Superior Court, Mike’s blood test revealed marijuana and Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol to the extent it was less safe to drive.
Mike was booked into the jail and bonded out the same day.
Mike Arrested Again While Out on Bond
While out on bond, Jadon Mike was arrested a second time for Driving Under the Influence, also in Effingham County. Court documents show that in September 2025, Mike was driving under the influence of alcohol when he was arrested by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office.
He entered a guilty plea two months later and was sentenced to twelve months probation, a $1,000 fine, 40 hours of community service, a mandatory Alcohol Risk Reduction Class, and a Victim Impact Panel. He was also ordered to serve ten days in jail, but received credit for time served following his arrest. Mike was on probation for the DUI-Alcohol case at the time of his plea for the vehicular homicide charge.
Plea in Effingham County Superior Court
On February 24, 2026, Mike entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of Homicide by Vehicle in the Second Degree, a misdemeanor offense subject to a maximum of 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
A negotiated plea was arranged between Assistant District Attorney Bryan Roy and Mike’s attorney, Joey Cowart, with the following terms:
Homicide by Vehicle – 1st degree – Amended to a lesser offense
Homicide by Vehicle – 2nd degree – Guilty Plea
DUI Drugs – Nolle prosequi (dismissed)
Failure to Yield – Merged with VH2
Mike was sentenced to serve thirty days in jail with the remainder of the twelve months to be served on probation. The probation sentence is consecutive to the probation in Mike’s misdemeanor DUI case. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, complete a Victim Impact Panel within 180 days, and pay a $1,000 fine.
Decker’s family was not present in court Tuesday. According to his obituary, Master Sergeant Christopher Decker joined the U.S. Army after high school. He became an Army Ranger where he was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield with 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He deployed 11 times to combat and one additional deployment to Europe. His service was well decorated with medals and commendations and his experiences led to his choice to become a ROTC instructor at Georgia Southern where he could train up the next generation.
