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A 24-year-old Raleigh, North Carolina woman pled guilty Monday in Pitt County Superior Court to driving while impaired and felony death by vehicle charges. The charges arose from an August 2009 accident that authorities say claimed the life of a passenger. The woman also pled guilty to misdemeanor hit-and-run allegations arising in an unrelated incident in May 2009.

The woman entered the guilty pleas Monday afternoon in Pitt County and was sentenced to the maximum term of 36 to 53 months in prison on the death by vehicle charge. The judge imposed a two year prison sentence on the DWI conviction and ordered that that sentence run consecutive to the death by vehicle sentence.

Generally, a consecutive sentence does not begin until a prior sentence is completed. For comparison, when a person is sentenced to concurrent sentences for separate offenses, the sentences are served at the same time.

The felony death by vehicle and DWI charges were filed after authorities say that the woman crashed her vehicle on Worthington Road east of County Home Road in August 2009. A 21-year-old man was thrown from the passenger seat as the woman’s Toyota Sequoia flipped several times, according to North Carolina State Police. The passenger suffered fatal injuries in the tragic wreck. The woman had been charged with second-degree murder

The same woman appeared in court last week on separate DWI charges. Tuesday, she was found guilty of DWI from allegations that arose in August 2008. At the hearing last week, the judge imposed a six-month sentence for the DWI conviction, which prosecutors say is the maximum sentence, according to the Greenville Daily Reflector.

Source: Greenville Daily Reflector, “Driver pleads guilty in fatal wreck,” Kristin Zachary, Jan. 28, 2013

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In January, a Millbrook High School student was killed in a car accident. North Carolina law enforcement agencies and the Department of Alcohol Law Enforcement conducted investigations into the circumstances surrounding the tragic fatal car accident.

Investigators had said that an underage drinking party led to the tragic fatal accident, and a wide number of underage alcohol offenses where brought against several people and DWI charges were filed against a 16-year-old followed the extensive investigation. This blog previously discussed several of the charges filed in prior posts.

One of the Raleigh men charged in the aftermath of the fatal car accident pled guilty Wednesday to charges leveled in the aftermath of the ALE investigation.

ALE agents had alleged that the 21-year-old Raleigh man had purchased a bottle of rum for a 16-year-old who was charged with driving while impaired, felony death by motor vehicle and other offenses on allegations the he was driving the car involved in the fatal accident.

Authorities say the 16-year-old registered a 0.29 percent blood alcohol concentration in a chemical test conducted after the car accident. A young woman who was riding as a passenger in the car died in the crash.

The 21-year-old Raleigh man who was charged with purchasing the rum reportedly pled guilty this week to two counts of purchasing alcohol, and was sentenced in criminal court Wednesday. The judge reportedly imposed 12 months of probation, community service, a fine and court fees in sentencing the Raleigh man.

Underage alcohol charges were filed against several other people ranging in age from 15 to 18-years-old after the investigation.

Source: WRAL, “Man pleads guilty to buying alcohol in fatal teen DWI crash,” May 9, 2012

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A Raleigh teenager is facing a string of charges after a fatal crash Saturday in Raleigh. The teenager is charged with felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, underage DWI, and a series of other offenses. Police claim they found open containers and marijuana in the Jeep after the accident.

Sources say that the teenager was at a high school party before the fatal accident occurred. Law enforcement says the 16-year-old lost control of his Jeep while traveling at a high speed. Witnesses say the Jeep ran up a curb, hit a mailbox, and then slammed into a tree, killing a 17-year-old woman who was riding as a passenger in the vehicle.

Law enforcement continues to investigate where the North Carolina teen got the alcohol on the night of the accident. More people may face charges, depending on what the police and state Alcohol Law Enforcement investigation uncovers, according to the Raleigh Police. Law enforcement hopes to find information on who supplied the teen with the alcohol to pursue charges against that person. Providing or selling alcohol to an underage person is prohibited under state law.

The 16-year-old accused of the drunk driving accident appeared in court Monday. The judge raised the teen’s bail from ,000 to ,000. Apparently the judge raised the amount of bail because the teen is on probation for a prior conviction for breaking and entering and larceny. The next court date in the DWI case is scheduled for the end of January.

Source: WRAL, “More charges possible in Raleigh teen’s fatal crash,” Jan. 10, 2012

Greenville DUI Attorney Blog | North Carolina Underage Drinking Lawyer | Pitt County First DUI Law Firm

Criminal charges continue to flow from allegations of a Raleigh underage drinking party. Three more people have been charged with underage drinking-related charges in the aftermath of the investigation into the recent fatal car accident that occurred after two people allegedly attended the high school party in Raleigh. This blog reported stories of the accident and a subsequent arrest of a Raleigh man on aiding and abetting underage drinking charges.

Wednesday, state officials brought charges against three more people related to the alleged underage drinking party. An 18-year-old Raleigh woman is accused of hosting the alleged party on Jan. 6. She is now facing two counts of aiding and abetting.

A 17-year-old woman has been charged with underage purchase of liquor. Like any criminal charges in North Carolina brought against a person age 16 or older, the charges are filed in adult court. A juvenile petition has also been filed in relation to the same investigation. Authorities say a 15-year-old will face a charge of underage purchase of spirituous liquor in the North Carolina juvenile system.

The new charges highlight that North Carolina law has broad shoulders in the area of underage drinking. The most recent round of charges is linked to the Jan. 7 fatal accident that allegedly involved alcohol.

None of the more recent charges include allegations that any of the people accused were present at the time of the Jan. 7 accident. An Agent with the North Carolina Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement says, “You don’t always (even) have to be present,” to face charges on underage drinking allegations.

For students age 16 or more, the charges are filed in adult court in North Carolina, which can lead to a permanent criminal record, if a conviction ultimately results from the charges. Greenville underage drinking defense attorneys note that a criminal record can have long-term adverse collateral consequences.

Increasingly, companies conduct criminal background checks during the application process; schools of high education are also increasing background checks.

It is important for any charged with a crime in North Carolina to consider speaking with an experienced defense attorney before appearing in court, or paying a drinking ticket. Paying the ticket is the equivalent to pleading guilty and the conviction is recorded on the defendant’s record.

Source: WRAL, “Host of underage party charged after student’s death,” Jan. 25, 2012

Greenville DUI Attorney Blog | North Carolina Underage Drinking Lawyer | Pitt County First DUI Law Firm