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Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Teacher Charged in Deaths of N.C. High School Football Players Killed in ATV Accident
A teacher has been charged in connection with the deaths of two North Carolina high school football players killed in an ATV crash last summer. Ashley Marie Darity, 34, is charged with two counts of felony involuntary manslaughter related to the August 2024 deaths of Layne Jones and Jayden Reynaldo, the Alcohol Law Enforcement division of the state Department of Public Safety confirmed in a statement shared with PEOPLE. Darity, who was arrested on Feb. 13, was released on a $20,000 secured bond, per court records reviewed by PEOPLE. Jones and Reynaldo were riding a 2015 Polaris Sportsman ATV on Aug. 25, 2024, when they went around a curve and crashed the four-wheeler into a tree in Transylvania County, state authorities said, per the Transylvania Times, USA Today and NBC News. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. The state Department of Public Safety said in its statement that alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash that killed the boys, who were football players at Rosman High School. According to the Transylvania Times, authorities believe the teenagers attended a house party prior to the crash. A school district official confirmed to NBC News and USA Today that Darity was a substitute teacher in the Transylvania County Schools District from 2021 to 2023. It's unclear which school she worked for, though Rosman High School is part of the district. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Two others have also been arrested amid the investigation. Brandon Kaine Rathbone and Patricia Faye Whitehead, both of Balsam Grove, N.C., were each charged with aiding and abetting a person less than 21 years of age in the possession and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages, per the statement shared with PEOPLE. The state Department of Public Safety said the charges stem from "a previous incident discovered during this investigation that occurred at the same residence." Authorities said the investigation into the fatal crash remains ongoing. The Transylvania County School District mourned the loss of two students in a statement shared on social media in August 2024. 'In moments like these, words often fall short,' the district said. 'Our hearts are broken, and we are grieving together as a community. The loss of such young, vibrant lives is a stark reminder of how precious life is and how deeply we are all connected.' PEOPLE has reached out to Darity's attorney, Sean Devereux, for comment. Read the original article on People
USA Today
25-02-2025
- USA Today
Woman charged in teens' drunk-driving deaths was a substitute teacher at their district
Woman charged in teens' drunk-driving deaths was a substitute teacher at their district Ashley Marie Darity is charged in the deaths of Layne Jones and Jayden Reynald, two teenage North Carolina boys killed in an ATV crash last August. Her attorney says there's more to the story. A North Carolina woman charged in an ATV crash that killed two teenage boys previously worked as a substitute teacher at the victims' school district, a district spokeswoman said Monday. Ashley Marie Darity, 34, was arrested on Feb. 13 on two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Transylvania County teenagers Layne Jones and Jayden Reynald, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The boys were driving a 2015 Polaris Sportsman on Aug. 25, when they ran off the road and hit a tree while navigating a curve. Though state highway patrol initially cited excessive speed as the cause of the crash, investigators now say that alcohol is factor. Layne and Jayden were both students and football players at Rosman High School, part of the Transylvania County Schools District. Darity was previously employed as a substitute teacher at the boys' school district between October 2021 and December 2023, Transylvania County Schools spokesperson Tessa Brown confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday. The Rosman resident is accused of providing the teens with alcohol, the Transylvania Times reported. Court records show her bail was set at $20,000. "We welcome the opportunity to tell the whole story," Darity's attorney, Sean Devereux, told USA TODAY over the phone on Monday. Devereux said he could not comment further on the case. Two others also arrested in hosting underage drinking party North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement officers have also arrested Balsam Grove residents Brandon Kaine Rathbone, 47, and Patricia Faye Whitehead, 33. Both are charged with aiding and abetting the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages to a person under 21. Their bail was set for $500. They were arrested in connection with the investigation into the crash but authorities haven't provided more specifics. Rathbone's date of offense is listed as June 10, 2023 and Whitehead's as Feb. 14, 2023, both over a year before the crash. An arrest warrant for Rathbone says that the two hosted an underage house party where they allegedly provided a 15-year-old with a malt beverage. They also "held the juvenile up to assist (them) in doing a keg stand," a drinking game where someone does a headstand while consuming alcohol. USA TODAY was working to find the attorneys representing Rathbone and Whitehead. Community reels from 'unimaginable loss' In an Aug. 25 statement, Superintendent Lisa Fletcher called the crash a "devastating accident" that struck the community with an "unimaginable loss." "The loss of such young, vibrant lives is a stark reminder of how precious life is and how deeply we are all connected," Fletcher wrote. Following the tragedy the Rosman High School community held an "orange out" at an Aug. 30 home football game against North Henderson, where fans wore orange to show unity and support, according to the Hendersonville Times-News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Saleen Martin
