CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A woman accused in a deadly motorcycle crash pleaded guilty April 1 to misdemeanor homicide by vehicle and driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to Cherokee County court records.
Marilyn Lyons was booked April 1 on charges of operating with a suspended license and second-degree vehicular homicide.
The charges stemmed from a July 6, 2025, crash at Hickory Flat Highway and Hickory Road involving a 2018 Ford Explorer and a Yamaha motorcycle, according to an officer’s narrative from the initial incident report.
The officer wrote that the motorcycle rider was transported to a hospital with serious injuries after the crash. Upon arrival, the officer observed the motorcycle had impacted the passenger side of the Explorer after sliding a short distance.
The officer marked the scene and noted “multiple scratches in the roadway,” along with a skid mark where the rider slid the motorcycle in an attempt to avoid the collision, according to the report.
Traffic camera video obtained from the intersection showed the Explorer attempting to turn left from Hickory Road onto Hickory Flat Highway, according to the report.
Lyons told the officer she approached the intersection to make a left turn and had a green light with a flashing yellow turn arrow. She said there was a line of cars before her turn, and after the cars passed, she began turning.
“She stated she saw the group of motorcycles but was unsure how fast they were going,” the officer wrote. “She then stated the motorcycle struck the side of her vehicle.”
Witnesses told the officer that the rider was leading the ride and began accelerating into the intersection. They said they saw the Explorer turning left before the rider dropped the motorcycle and struck the Explorer, according to the report.
The rider’s phone was collected at the scene, and the officer later obtained a search warrant to download possible GPS data to help determine the motorcycle’s speed. The officer wrote that the GPS points were not in line and the time disparity was too great to provide an accurate location.
Investigators also attempted to download data from the Explorer’s airbag control module, but the system yielded no results, according to the report.
On July 14, 2025, the officer was contacted by hospital staff and informed that the rider had died. A deputy responded to the hospital and collected photographs.
“After observing the on-scene evidence, the statements provided by the witnesses, and the video, I determined Marilyn is at fault for the collision by failing to yield when turning left,” the officer wrote.
On July 29, 2025, the officer met with Lyons at her residence while her attorney was on the phone and issued two citations — one for driving while license revoked and one for vehicular homicide in the second degree, according to the report. Lyons signed the citations without incident.
Court records show Lyons’ attorney, David Windcher, filed an entry of appearance Aug. 5, 2025. The State of Georgia filed an accusation March 10, 2026, formally charging Lyons with vehicular homicide in the second degree, failure to yield the right of way while turning left and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Lyons appeared for arraignment April 1 and pleaded guilty to Count 1, homicide by vehicle in the second degree, a misdemeanor. Count 2, failure to yield the right of way while turning left, was merged into Count 1 and did not result in a separate sentence.
Lyons also pleaded guilty to Count 3, driving with a suspended or revoked license.
For the homicide by vehicle count, Lyons was sentenced to 12 months of probation, ordered to pay a $1,325 fine and ordered to complete 240 hours of community service. For driving with a suspended or revoked license, she was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay a $710 fine.
Booking and court records are available via The Georgia Gazette.
Lyons’ guilty pleas resolve all three counts filed against her in Cherokee County Case No. 26M0404, court records show.