An Army human resources specialist stationed at Fort Benning has been sentenced to confinement and discharged from the service following a fatal hit-and-run case that moved through both civilian and military justice systems.
Specialist Adonis S. Cooley was convicted Dec. 16, 2025, at a general court-martial convened at Fort Benning, Georgia. According to military court records, Cooley pleaded guilty before a military judge to leaving the scene of a vehicle accident and making a false official statement.
He was sentenced to 14 months of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge, consistent with the terms of a plea agreement.
The military case stems from an off-post crash in the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2024, in Columbus. According to the Muscogee County Coroner, the victim was Anthony Hughley, 38, who was struck in a pedestrian-versus-vehicle crash at the intersection of Victory Drive and Benning Drive.
Hughley was pronounced dead at 2:02 a.m. at Piedmont Columbus Regional’s emergency room.
Police later identified Cooley as the suspect. The Columbus Police Department said its Motor Squad conducted a preliminary investigation that linked Cooley to the crash. He was arrested on Oct. 28, 2024.
Georgia court records show Cooley was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, which under state law means prosecutors allege he caused another person’s death while committing a serious traffic offense. He was also charged with hit and run resulting in serious injury or death, meaning authorities allege he left the scene without stopping to provide aid or contact emergency services.
Additional charges included leaving the scene and failing to render assistance to an injured person, as well as traffic violations for driving without insurance and operating a vehicle with a suspended or canceled registration. The traffic-related charges were later dismissed during early court proceedings.
The charges were initially filed in Recorder’s Court before being transferred to Superior Court, where felony cases are handled. In November 2024, the felony counts were formally bound over to Superior Court following a preliminary hearing. As of this reporting, the civilian felony case remains listed as open, with authorities stating the investigation is ongoing.
At the time of the crash, Cooley was stationed at Fort Benning. Prior to the incident, he had reenlisted in the Army and selected Fort Benning as his duty station. Earlier in his career, he had been assigned to Camp Humphreys in South Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division.
Publicly available Army retention and reenlistment posts from that period praised Cooley’s continued service and commitment, noting his reenlistment for additional years of active duty and his selection of Fort Benning as his next assignment. Those posts remain publicly accessible.
While the civilian case continues in Georgia’s court system, the military portion of the case has concluded. The court-martial addressed offenses related to leaving the scene of the crash and providing false statements, separate from the state-level vehicular homicide charge.
The Salty Soldier will continue to monitor the Superior Court case and report on any future developments, including trial proceedings, plea negotiations, or sentencing outcomes.
As with all civilian criminal cases, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
© 2025 The Salty Soldier. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written consent is strictly prohibited.
