One of the students, Peyton Lee, died at the scene. He was a senior agriculture major from Four Oaks.
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His father, Gary Lee, is the President and CEO of Free Will Baptist Children's Home. A family friend described the family as tight-knit, loving, and involved in community affairs, adding the denomination was stunned by the news.
The driver, 20-year old Dylan Stacy of Sanford, was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro. He is facing several charges, including DWI, DWI provisional licensee, careless and reckless driving, speeding, and possession of an open container.
Adrienne Crawford, 20, from Middlesboro, Kentucky, was also taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital, with minor injuries. According to the university, both Stacy and Crawford are being released.
James Noah Johnson, 18, of Pinetown was airlifted to Vidant Memorial Hospital in Greenville and remains in critical condition.
The Highway Patrol said there is the possibility of more charges, and nobody in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt.
The Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, which operates under NCDPS, has been called in to assist with the investigation, with a focus on determining where the alcohol was purchased and who made the purchase.
"It is an extremely sad day for the University of Mount Olive," University of Mount Olive President Dr. H. Edward Croom said. "We are a close-knit family here at the University, and this has hit us hard. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Lee family, and we uplift all of the others in our prayers as they continue to receive medical treatment."
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Investigators with the Highway Patrol were at the scene Friday afternoon on Cricket Ridge Road, just a couple miles from campus, as they worked to reconstruct the crash. Brick retaining walls around driveways of at least two homes were heavily damaged during the crash. A neighbor reported the crash at 1:16 Friday morning.
The university is holding a prayer session at 6 p.m. Friday at Rodgers Chapel.