Alleged drunk driver in Johnston County crash that killed 2 has been deported twice, indictment says

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Friday, November 22, 2019
Alleged drunk driver in Johnston County crash that killed 2 has been deported twice, indictment says
Alleged drunk driver in Johnston County crash that killed 2 has been deported twice, indictment says

An undocumented immigrant who was charged in a crash that killed a 15-year-old boy and a 65-year-old woman is now facing new charges.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday that 35-year-old Felix Antonio Juarez-Antunez is charged with illegal reentry of a deported alien.

'It just doesn't feel real': Johnston County teen barely escapes double-fatal DWI wreck

According to the indictment, Juarez-Antunez had previously been deported twice.

If convicted of the federal crime, he would face maximum penalties of two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

Those penalties would not include any Juarez-Antunez may receive from the Nov. 10 crash that happened near the intersection of M. Durwood Stephenson Highway and Wilsons Mills Road. Charges stemming from that crash include felony death by motor vehicle and felony serious injury by vehicle.

Police said he did not have a driver's license and investigators estimated he was going 90 mph in a 45 mph zone.

Smithfield police previously confirmed that Juarez-Antunez was under an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.

Ethan Handley and Marjory Howell Wagner were killed in the wreck.

Hailey Wagner, the reigning Miss Garner Outstanding Teen, suffered a broken neck and fractured spine.

"I just remember nothing... And then just waking up as if I was in a dream," said Hailey.

Her brother suffered a fracture through his spine, in between the shoulder blades.

"I knew instantly that my grandma had died because I was in the passengers' seat and she was all leaned back in her chair and I reached over to touch her stomach. I knew she wasn't moving and she wasn't moving. So I knew she had died," he said. "But it was probably the next day that I found out about Ethan and Hailey's injuries."

Despite their own injuries, both are choosing to focus on their late friend and grandmother.

"He could always make you laugh. No matter what situation you're in. He was very good at understanding, great at listening," Hailey said of Ethan.

"She was everybody's grandma. She's just always there for you," Stephen said of his grandmother.