Man accused of fatal Wilmington Island hit-and-run had blood alcohol more than twice legal limit, trooper testifies

Chatham County, Ga. (WTOC) - A Chatham County judge denied bond Tuesday for a man accused of striking and killing a bicyclist on Wilmington Island and fleeing the scene, after a state trooper testified the suspect had a blood alcohol content of .176 and was traveling 75 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone at the time of the crash.

Robert Herfurt appeared via video from the Chatham County Detention Center for his preliminary hearing before Chief Judge Joe Huffman.

Corporal Matthew Nelson, a Georgia State Patrol crash reconstruction specialist, was the sole witness called by the state.

In the meanwhile, the victims family has created a GoFundMe to bring his body home.

What the trooper testified

Trooper Nelson said that on June 21, 2026, at approximately 10:25 p.m., Herfurt struck bicyclist Andres Sierra from behind on Wilmington Island Road. Sierra was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner transported his body to the GBI for autopsy, which determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to Sierra’s head and neck.

Nelson said the impact occurred approximately 12 inches inside of the fog line.

Data retrieved from the vehicle’s airbag control module showed the vehicle was traveling 75 miles per hour 5 seconds before impact and 71 miles per hour at the moment of impact.

Sierra’s body was found more than 120 feet from the point of impact.

Flight from the scene

Nelson testified that immediately after the collision, Herfurt drove to his residence at approximately 1.1 miles from the crash site — with the vehicle’s airbags fully deployed.

Herfurt called Chatham County 911 at 10:46 p.m., approximately 21 minutes after the crash, and told dispatchers he had struck something but did not know what.

Chatham County police responded to the residence with body cameras activated. Nelson said that during that encounter, Herfurt spontaneously stated, “I hope he’s okay,” without being asked.

Herfurt was then transported back to the crash scene for a blood draw.

Bar surveillance and alcohol evidence

Trooper Nelson said he obtained surveillance video from a bar called The Crowbar showing Herfurt inside, consuming alcohol, and then leaving the parking lot approximately three minutes before the crash. The Crowbar is approximately 1.7 miles from the collision site.

Nelson said he drove that route at the posted speed limit and it took three minutes and nine seconds.

Nelson also obtained a receipt from a bar called Cheers showing a purchase of a “generous amount of alcohol” approximately one hour before the crash. That receipt is included in the case file.

There’s also surveillance video that shows the crash, and you can hear the point of impact.

Officers on scene reported Herfurt appeared highly intoxicated, with slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol, and an inability to stand without stumbling.

Herfurt told officers he had been drinking at his residence after the crash, but said he had not been drinking before.

Blood draw and refusals

Nelson said Herfurt refused standard field sobriety testing and refused Georgia implied consent.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for a blood draw, which was conducted at the crash scene. GBI testing returned a blood alcohol content of .176 grams per 100 milliliters of blood — more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Herfurt’s cell phone was also seized and is currently being examined by Homeland Investigations under a search warrant. Nelson said cell phone data had not yet been returned at the time of the hearing.

Law enforcement and EMS were out at that scene for 6-7 hours that night.

Bond denied

Defense attorney Skye Musson proposed a treatment bond, asking that Herfurt be released to Jeremy Dyches of Chasing Freedom, an 18-to-24-month residential program in Statesboro described as a fully dry facility.

The proposal included conditions that Herfurt have no access to a vehicle and that Dyches notify the DA’s office and sheriff’s office immediately if Herfurt failed to comply or was removed from the program.

The state opposed the bond, citing Herfurt’s prior DUI conviction from 2011, his .176 BAC, his speed at the time of impact, and his failure to render aid or immediately report the crash.

Chief Judge Huffman denied bond, saying Herfurt poses a significant risk of danger to the community. The judge said Dyches could provide services to Herfurt at the detention center in the meantime, as the Chatham County jail is also a dry facility.

Next his case will be put in front of Chatham County grand jury for consideration.