Moped Rider Dies After Crashing Into a Mail Truck
DUNN—A Dunn man has died from injuries sustained in a head-on collision with a United States Postal Service Grumman mail truck, according to authorities.
The crash occurred shortly before 5 PM on Susan Tart Road near Betsy Johnson Hospital. Dunn Emergency Services, and Dunn police responded to the scene, finding a motor scooter on its side on the shoulder of the road.
The operator of the scooter was found lying in the roadway with significant head injuries. EMS personnel notified emergency medical personnel that the victim would require trauma treatment and a helicopter was dispatched.
The injured man was flown to WakeMed hospital in Raleigh where he later died. The mail carrier driving the delivery vehicle was uninjured.
The scooter operator was identified as Gary Vann Strickland, 66, of Dunn. Crash scene investigators believe that Strickland went left of center and collided with the USPS truck.
Ophthalmologist Dies In Head-On Collision near Sanford
SANFORD—A UNC medical resident died from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle crash last weekend near Sanford, according to authorities.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says that 32-year-old Dr. Davis Anugo, a resident ophthalmologist, was fatally injured as he drove south on NC Highway 87 on Saturday night.
A GMC Yukon SUV was traveling north on the same highway when it crossed the centerline and struck the eye doctor’s vehicle head-on. Anugo died at the scene.
Anugo was in his final year of residency at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine. He also held degrees from Binghamton University and Albert Eistein College of Medicine.
The driver of the GMC Yukon and a passenger were transport to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Doctor Anugo was set to finish his residency at the UNC School of Medicine in June.
Elderly Woman Falls To Her Death In Eastern NC
KINSTON –Kinston police and emergency medical first-responders were dispatched to an address near downtown after a report of a fall.
Upon arrival, first responders found a 76-year-old woman had fell to her death from a building in the 100 block of East Peyton Avenue. Officers and EMS found the elderly woman lying deceased on the west side of the building.
The victim’s identity has not been released and remains under investigation, although police do not believe the case is a homicide at this time.
Police are asking the public for any information about the incident. Call Kinston Police Department’s Tips line at 252-939-4020, or Lenoir County Crime Stoppers at 252-523-4444 with any relevant information.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol Adding V8 Mustangs To Fleet
RALEIGH—On Friday, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol introduced the public to a new patrol vehicle that will soon be cruising the highways.
After almost 30 years, the Ford Mustang will again be wearing the historic black and silver colors of the highway patrol and clearly marked with “STATE TROOPER” on the front, sides and rear.
While the state will only be fielding 25 of the new V8 pony cars, all will be marked units and displaying the legendary 5.0 on the side. The current 5.0L V8 produces 480 horsepower. Top speed is likely between 155-160 mph.
During the eighties, the California Highway Patrol requested to purchase 5.0L V8 Mustangs from Ford to compensate for the lack of power from the large sedans used during that period. Sports cars were becoming faster, and the CHP felt as if they needed vehicles that were more nimble in traffic and could accelerate quicker. Ford began offering a SSP package on the Mustang for police usage and more state highway patrol agencies signed up, including North Carolina.
As police sedans became more powerful and faster, the need for two door sporty patrol cars waned, eventually giving way to another favorite, the Dodge Charger with the 5.7 Hemi V8. In 2023, Dodge ceased production of these popular V8 sedans leaving only SUV patrol vehicles in the fleets across the country. Other popular patrol cars like the Crown Victoria, Caprice and Taurus were discontinued years ago.
Now, more highway patrols, sheriff’s offices and police departments are utilizing Mustangs again for traffic patrol duties, which along with their acceleration, are also inherently better handling vehicles with a lower center of gravity than a SUV.
Fleet management states that the Ford Mustang GTs that the state has bought for the highway patrol are comparable in price to other vehicles currently in usage like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Dodge Durango and Ford Explorer. The Mustang allows the continuance of a true patrol car.
The Mustangs will also likely help with recruitment as the number of state troopers across the state have been in the decline in recent years.
Teen Arrested With Weapon of Mass Destruction
KINSTON—Police officers in Kinston have arrested a 14-year-old after finding him with a weapon of mass destruction, according to authorities.
Officers with the Kinston Police department were on patrol near Stroud Avenue and Williams Street in the city when they began receiving reports of a suspect pushing on parked cars in the neighborhood.
Police observed a 14-year-old male making “suspcioius movements” and moved in to question him, which ultimately led to police frisking the teen. Officers then found a sawed-off shotgun being concealed in the boy’s waistband.
Upon discovery of the weapon, police moved to take the teen into custody but not before he resisted officers detaining him.
A custody order was obtained for Posession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction, Carrying a Concealed Gun, Resisting Arrest, and Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer.
The teen was taken and placed in a secure facility for juvenile offenders.
Another Death Investigation Possibly Related To Tainted Fentanyl Drug
GOLDSBORO—Authorities in Wayne County are investigating yet another death that may be related to possible tainted drugs being dealt on the streets of Goldsboro.
On Friday morning, police were called to a home on the 2000 block of E. Ash Street to assist emergency first responders. A caller to 911 reported an unresponsive man in a home there. When Goldsboro EMS arrived on scene, the man was declared deceased.
The investigation was turned over to the Goldsboro Police Department’s Investigative Services Bureau and Crime Scene Unit.
Family members were able to identify the victim as 42-year-old Bryan Lee Jackson, of Goldsboro. Police do not believe that Jackson’s death is foul play. Jackson is the fifth person found deceased after the first of four other victims was found on April 15. Three other people were found dead after welfare checks revealed unresponsive or deceased victims that reportedly appeared to be from tainted drugs on the street.
Police investigators are working to determine the causes of death and any relatable circumstances.
Weekend Shooting Leaves Two Dead In Goldsboro
GOLDSBORO—Goldsboro police say that a welfare check in the city last Saturday afternoon led to the discovery of two people who were deceased from gunshot wounds inside a residence.
Officers with the Goldsboro Police Department were dispatched to the 400 block of Fussell Street, finding two individuals deceased inside the home. Goldsboro emergency personnel responded to the scene, declaring both subjects dead.
The deceased were identified as Jamelle Monque Best, 53, of Goldsboro, and Elainna Michelled Ebersole, 44, of Goldsboro.
The Goldsboro Police Department is asking the public’s help in providing any information regarding the incident. Contact the Goldsboro Police Department at 919-580-4200 or Goldsboro Wayne Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255. Information may also be text to 919-735-2255 anonymously.
Troopers Looking For Vehicle Involved In Fatal Hit & Run
WILLOW SPRING—Troopers with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and other law agencies are on the look out for a vehicle believed to have struck and killed a woman walking along a rural road near the Johnston-Wake County line on Tuesday.
The victim, 43-year-old Jennifer Lee Penn, of Willow Spring, died as a result of being struck by a 2018 to 2021 Jeep Wrangler with tinted windows. The Jeep is believed to have a black exterior or be dark in color. The Jeep is also believed to have tinted windows and will have right front-end damage.
It was last seen traveling on Old State Road toward Wake County.
Troopers are asking the public’s help in locating the vehicle. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the Jeep Wrangler or the identity of the driver, is asked to call the North Carolina State Highway Patrol 919-733-3861 or the Smithfield district office at 919-934-2186.
New Text Scam Solicits Payment For ‘Unpaid Tolls,” According to State officials
RALEIGH—Scammers often seem to find a never-ending source for new, unscrupulous schemes, and the latest appears to be associated with a North Carolina state agency.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is warning motorists of a recent scame that claims that the recipient owes unpaid fees for traveling on toll roads in the state.
Officials say that the North Carolina Turnpike Authority was alerted of the text message-based scam, in which fraudsters claim to work for a third-party company that collects tolls on behalf of NC Turnpike Authority.
NCDOT officials say that those who are targeted seem to be chosen at random, and are not associated with any established Quick Pass accounts or the usage of toll roads.
State officials say that payments are never requested by NC Quick Pass through the use of text messaging, and that anyone with questions about procedures on collecting tolls can be found at ncquickpass.com.
NFL MVP, NC State Quarterback Roman Gabriel Passes Away At 83
LITTLE RIVER, SC—Legendary professional quarterback Roman Gabriel has died at the age of 83, according to his son, Roman Gabriel III.
According to his son, the former NFL great died peacefully of natural causes at his Little River, South Carolina home on April 20, 2024.
Roman Gabriel was born in Wilmington, North Carolina on August 5, 1940 to Edna Mae Wyatt and Filipino immigrant Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Sr. Gabriel grew up poor in New Hanover County and also suffered from asthma, but played quarterback for New Hanover High School.
Gabriel went on to star at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, becoming a two-time All-American and two-time ACC Player of the Year. When Gabriel graduated from NCSU, he held almost every passing record in school history.
Gabriel was the number one 1962 AFL draft pick, chosen by the Oakland Raiders, and was chosen as the number 2 NFL draft pick in 1962 by the Los Angeles Rams. Gabriel signed with the Rams and went on to an illustrious, professional career.
His Number 18 jersey was retired by North Carolina State University and he was also inducted into the College Hall of Fame. During his professional career, he was named the NFL’s Most Value Player in 1969, and also a first-team All-Pro the same season.
Gabriel made three Pro Bowl appearances with the Rams in 1967, 1968, and 1969 and was named a second-team All-Pro in 1967 and 1968.
Gabriel was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973, and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year the same season, after leading the league in passing yards with his signature strong arm. He was also selected to his fourth and final Pro Bowl selection.
After his own career as a player, Gabriel coached collegiate and professional football, and also dabbled in acting.