Woman charged in man's death
By John Joyce
Published in News on February 24, 2014 1:46 PM
After seven months of investigation, the Goldsboro Police Department and Wayne County District Attorney's Office have charged Courtney Arielle Cole, 22, with misdemeanor death by vehicle in the death of Lawrence Mayo, 45.
Mayo was killed in a traffic accident Aug. 5, 2013.
Maj. Mike West, of the Goldsboro Police Department, said Ms. Cole allegedly turned without yielding from U.S. 117 S onto a cross street headed toward Studio 117, a now defunct night club.
"Apparently, this is how long it has taken to complete the investigation," West said.
The investigating officer, J.R. Anderson, was unavailable for comment, and West hesitated to speculate on what circumstances led the officer to seek the charges.
Ms. Cole was arrested at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and released on a $2,500 secured bond.
District Attorney Branny Vickory said he was surprised at the length of time between the accident and the charges being filed and that he would look further into the matter.
"In most cases, charges are filed more contemporaneously with the accident that causes the death," Vickory said.
According to N.C. General Statute 20-141.4, misdemeanor death by vehicle occurs when a person causes unintentionally the death of another person while engaged in the violation of a state or local traffic ordinance and the commission of the offense is the proximate cause of death.