The man charged with causing the wreck that claimed the life of Emerson’s former mayor and his wife was sentenced this week. The accident that killed Al Pallone and His wife Millie occurred in December 2022. Monday afternoon, 52-year-old William Bryan Abernathy of Calhoun entered a guilty plea in Cherokee County Court. He received a 30-year sentence with 10 years to serve in confinement and the remainder on probation. The four-vehicle accident occurred on Knox Bridge Highway east of Field Landing Road. According to Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reports, a Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by Abernathy, lost control and crossed the center line, striking a Hyundai Santa Fe traveling in the opposite direction.
Sixty-five-year-old mayor, Albert Pallone, and his wife, Camillia Pallone age 69, died at the scene. Pallone’s vehicle struck two other vehicles. Several others were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.