Ron Newton, chief magistrate of Fannin County, Ga., was killed Sunday when he and his wife, Rita, were on a motorcycle and were hit head-on by a vehicle on Highway 60.
Rita Newton was taken to Erlanger Hospital.
The wreck happened around 12:30 p.m. near Mineral Bluff.
The driver of the vehicle that struck the couple, 60-year-old Larry Eugene Jones of Morganton, Ga., is being held and is expected to face charges.
He was not injured.
The investigation is by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Blue Ridge is the county seat of Fannin County.