An Oct. 11 drug deal that just had to be done in Fayetteville cost two Riverdale men more than jail time. One of the men was seriously injured when he split a telephone pole on White Road, flipped his car and was pulled from the burning wreckage by local drug agents.

Charges of trafficking in marijuana are pending against Damon Baker, 24, and Chezzy Williams, 23, according to Fayette Drug Task Force (DTF) Capt. Mike Pruitt. Additional charges are pending against Baker related to his fleeing the scene and the resulting crash, Pruitt added.

Pike County drug agents had arranged for the two Riverdale men to sell 20 pounds of marijuana to undercover operatives in that county. But Chezzy Williams refused, saying the deal must go down at the Pavilion in Fayetteville. With the men insisting on the new location, Pike County agents got the go-ahead from Fayette’s Drug Task Force (DTF) and agreed to the location Williams specified at Home Depot, said Pruitt. But Williams changed his mind at the last minute, telling undercover agents he wanted the deal to go down on the Publix side of the development. The location Williams chose was the Fayetteville fire and police precinct on Pavilion Parkway.

DTF undercover agents carrying $12,500 for the transaction arrived at the location at 6:45 p.m. and met with Williams, said DTF Lt. Jody Thomas, and were told the 20 pounds of marijuana had been placed inside a large trash can adjacent to the building. Agents then moved to secure Williams.

Seeing Williams in the grips of agents, Baker, a paraplegic, quickly sped away. Baker pulled the car out onto Ga. Highway 85 heading south at a high rate of speed. He was followed overhead by the sheriff’s office helicopter Hawk 1. Baker turned right on Banks Road, crossed Ga. Highway 314 and onto White Road, Pruitt said. Baker lost control of the vehicle on White Road, smashing into a telephone pole and splitting it in half. The severed pole brought down power lines around the vehicle, Thomas said. A fire erupted and the car began to burn, Thomas added. Two DFT agents arriving at the scene pulled Baker from the burning vehicle. Baker suffered multiple injuries in the incident, including a fractured spine, ruptured spleen and lacerations. Agents were not injured, Pruitt said.