Involved in a deadly collision near Meadowmont last month, a student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is facing a dozen criminal charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, felony death by automobile, and involuntary manslaughter.
According to the police, underage drinking was a contributing factor in the collision that occurred on January 21 and resulted in the death of another student from the University of North Carolina. Police stated on Wednesday that a third student from the University of North Carolina, whose involvement in the incident is unknown, has also been charged.
According to the authorities, Flemeeja Beatrice Brewer, who was twenty years old at the time, was traveling east on North Carolina 54 near East Barbee Chapel Road when she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a wooded area. At approximately 2:23 in the morning, they stated that Brewer was driving quickly and under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred. Twenty-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rotunda, who was a passenger, was slain.
According to the police, Brewer and another passenger, Brianna Tiera Pinson, who was 21 years old, were examined and treated for injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.
The three ladies were all originally from Greensboro. There is evidence that Pinson was not a student at the University of North Carolina. Based on the information provided in the crash report, investigators believe that Brewer was traveling at a speed of more than 120 miles per hour when she veered off the right side of the road and collided with a street sign just beyond the intersection of Barbee Chapel Road. According to the complaint, the vehicle then collided with a number of smaller trees and began to roll until coming to a stop on its roof in the grass which is located between North Carolina 54 and Stancill Drive.
On that section of North Carolina Route 54, the speed limit is 45 miles per hour. Brewer was not of an age where she could legally purchase alcohol, and several of the accusations that she is facing are connected to the fact that she was underage when she consumed alcohol and drove, including the use of a fake identification card to purchase alcohol. Pinson, who had the legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages, has been charged with assisting a person under the age of 21 in consuming alcohol.
After posting a bond of $75,000, Brewer was not only released from custody, but she is also set to make her initial court appearance on February 19th. As the inquiry progressed, the police made the decision to file charges against the driver of another vehicle. Overspeeding, consuming alcohol while underage, and driving after drinking while underage were the charges that were brought against Zachary O’Brien Rice, who is twenty years old and hails from Lynchburg, Virginia.
Alex Carrasquillo, a spokesperson for the police department, declined to comment on the nature of the relationship between the two vehicles or the decision that investigators investigating the tragic collision made to charge Rice. In the report of the collision, there is no mention of any other vehicles.
