The North Carolina News & Observer reports that more charges are in store for the Clayton, North Carolina woman, 29-year-old Desiree Olsen, will face more charges in regards to the fatal truck and car accident she was involved in last month in Johnson County.
Both she and 18-year-old Shannon Nicole Adkins were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred when Olsen’s pickup crossed the double yellow center line and smashed into Adkins’ pickup head on Saturday night. Adkins was driving northbound and Olsen was driving southbound on Buffalo Road. Adkins died after her car overturned during the crash. Olsen was thrown from her truck, which rolled at least once.
The crash happened so close to Adkins’ residence that her parents hear the wreck and rushed to the scene.
“She was a wonderful, sweet child who meant the world to so many people,” said her aunt, Karmela Adkins. “It’s just not fair that she’s not here.”
Olsen admitted to emergency workers that she had been drinking and later tests by the hospital confirmed that she was intoxicated and not fit to legally drive on the roads. Both North Carolina State Trooper C.T. Oravits and WakeMed confirmed that she was drunk.
Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle said that Olsen has been charged with one count of felony death by motor vehicle, and that an element of that charge is driving while intoxicated. The charge could lead to a maximum of eight years in prison for those with prior records, while the minimum sentence is 15 months – a length of time that can be suspended by the judge. As far as officials know now, Olsen has no prior record of reckless driving or DUIs.
Adkins was a recent graduate of Clayton High School. While there, she had completed a study of why such an unusually high number of teens die on Johnson County streets. Over 30 teens have died so far this year, the third highest of any county in North Carolina.