Are notarized witness statements acceptable in traffic court. Also the Officer did not show for the initial trial.

I was involved in an accident and given the ticket for failure to yield. It was at night in the rain. There was a witness who provided the officer a statement at the scene advising the officer that the car I hit did not have their lights on at the time of the accident. The witness was only staying with family in the area and has since returned to their home state of Illinois. The accident was in Georgia. They will not be able to travel back for the trial by judge. Should a notarized statement fromthe witness confirming what was provided to the officer that night be accepted. Also the officer who gave me the ticket did not show up for the initial trial. This is an extension to the original trial. Should the officer have been required by the State to have been at the original trial?