Car crash in north Charlotte claims life of 19-year-old
1 dead after crash in north Charlotte, CMPD says
The crash involved a black Infinity G35 driven by Celis, who was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle collided with a Freightliner tractor-trailer, causing significant damage to both vehicles.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Major Crash Investigation Unit, along with the DWI Task Force and Crime Scene Search, is conducting an investigation into the crash.
Preliminary findings suggest that Mr. Celis was traveling at a high rate of speed northeast on Sunset Road when he lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center median, and collided with the tractor-trailer traveling in the opposite direction.
It was noted that Mr. Celis was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, which may have contributed to the severity of his injuries.
The investigation is ongoing, and it is not yet known if impairment was a factor, as toxicology results are pending.
VIDEO: 2 officers shot while serving warrant in northeast Charlotte; suspect dead
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
20 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Cop framed NC woman in 2005 robberies, bomb threats, judge rules. Now she sues
An innocent woman implicated in a string of bank robberies and fake bomb threats 15 years after the crimes is suing the deputy who built the case against her, after a North Carolina judge ruled he framed her in violation of her constitutional rights. Criminal charges against Jodi Blanton were dismissed May 18, 2024, by Superior Court Judge J. Lynn Gullett, who wrote in an order that Carl Duncan, a cold case detective with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, lied and faked evidence to support her arrest in May 2020 after the 'State previously declined to prosecute (her) on two separate occasions.' Gullett's ruling says Duncan has a 'propensity to stretch, omit and falsify the truth when preparing investigative summaries and/or sworn applications for search warrants.' In 2018, after the sheriff's office hired him, Duncan reopened the investigation into the 2005 robberies and bomb threats, which he initially investigated as a former Shelby police officer, according a federal lawsuit filed by Blanton against Duncan on July 28. The filing says 'in the course of his re-investigation, Duncan uncovered no evidence linking Jodi Blanton' to the robberies or threats. Duncan and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return McClatchy News' requests for comment July 17. 'This has been a nightmare,' Blanton, who lives in Cleveland County, told McClatchy News on July 31. 'My strong Christian faith, my husband of 37 years, my son and my close family and friends helped me manage through this horrible experience that still haunts me daily,' Blanton added. Duncan, according to a complaint, misled two judges into issuing search warrants, leading to two illegal searches of Blanton's home, where she lived with her husband Robert 'Bobby' Blanton, in February 2019. Afterward, he is further accused of misleading a district attorney into pursuing her prosecution. During one search, the complaint says the Blantons' dog Briley, a 12-pound terrier, 'was severely injured by officers.' Briley was 'forcefully restrained as others conducted the search and seized property,' Jodi Blanton's legal counsel, from Charlotte-based law firm Pfeiffer Rudolf, wrote in the filing. Sonya Pfeiffer, one of the attorneys, told McClatchy News on July 31 that Briley was left with broken blood vessels in her eyes, as well as bruising on her stomach and under her legs. 'Jodi's father was present and witnessed them drag Briley with a noose around her neck,' Pfeiffer said via email. 'She was hauled downstairs with her legs dangling which bruised under her legs.' Two photos Pfeiffer shared of Briley, showing the dog's injuries, were reviewed by McClatchy News. When the sheriff's office's cold case unit announced Jodi Blanton's 2020 arrest, they said she robbed the First National Bank in Shelby in June 2005, Alliance Bank in Shelby in November 2005 and the BB&T Bank in Fallston in August of that year, The Shelby Star newspaper reported. The agency further accused her of making a bomb threat over the phone to a Harris Teeter in Shelby, while the First National Bank robbery was underway, and another bomb threat against Burns Middle School in Lawndale the day the BB&T bank was robbed, according to the newspaper. The sheriff's office suggested Jodi Blanton tried distracting Cleveland County authorities with the bomb threats to carry out the robberies. 'After discovering some new evidence, Blanton was charged,' the newspaper reported May 28, 2020. 'The Sheriff's Office did not disclose what the new piece of evidence was.' In his sworn affidavits, according to the complaint, Duncan left out exculpatory evidence, including how the Harris Teeter bomb threat was linked to a phone number unrelated to Jodi Blanton. Duncan also never mentioned that when the First National Bank was robbed that day, witnesses' descriptions of the suspect, who they said was Black, did not match Jodi Blanton's appearance, the complaint says. In Gullett's May 2024 order, the judge wrote that following the November 2005 Alliance Bank robbery, a bank teller said the accused robber wore a mask, had 'blonde curly hair and was wearing 'lots of makeup.'' '(The teller) indicated that the robber reminded her of someone that she knew by the name of Jodi Blanton, but she could not make a positive identification of Jodi Blanton,' Gullett wrote in the order. Despite a lack of evidence and prosecutors previously declining to charge Jodi Blanton, she was arrested on felony charges related to the robberies and two counts of issuing a false bomb threat, according to the lawsuit. Pfeiffer told McClatchy News that 'the Blantons are baffled as to why Duncan was so fixated on Jodi.' In the May 2024 order, Gullett found 'Detective Duncan's negligence in failing to preserve evidence, coupled with intentional misrepresentations as to material facts in investigative summaries presented to the District Attorney, and his inclusion of material falsehoods in sworn statements in search warrants, has collectively caused actual prejudice to (Blanton).' It is unclear if the 2005 robberies and bomb threats have been solved. Jodi Blanton is suing Duncan on three federal claims under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment violations, including: fabrication of evidence and use of false evidenceunlawful search without probable causeunlawful seizure without probable cause/malicious prosecution She is bringing three state claims – malicious prosecution, gross negligence/recklessness and intentional infliction of emotional distress – against Duncan. 'For over 20 years, I have watched with shock and a sense of helplessness as my wife and family have lived in isolation, wrestling with fear and humiliation for being wrongly accused,' Bobby Blanton said in a statement to McClatchy News. 'By the Grace of God and love for one another we have managed to endure. But it has been almost indescribably difficult.' Jodi Blanton wants accountability and an unspecified amount in damages in the lawsuit. She demands a jury trial. 'I work daily on forgiveness, but justice and accountability matter to me and my family, and I pray nothing like this happens to anyone else,' she said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
6 killed, teen survives crash on I-485; good Samaritan stayed by her side
The NTSB and North Carolina Highway Patrol are investigating a deadly crash that killed six people, including a Gaston County family of five and a teen driver, Saturday on I-485 in west Charlotte. A 16-year-old girl survived, thanks in part to a passerby who stopped, prayed with her, and kept her calm until help arrived. READ MORE: Victims' family reflect on I-485 crash that killed 6, injured 1 The crash occurred on the outer loop of I-485 in west Charlotte, between West Boulevard and Wilkinson Boulevard, involving commercial and passenger vehicles. Among the deceased were 16-year-old Logan Paul Sauer, who was driving a Honda CRV, and five family members from Gaston County in a Chrysler van who were going to Carowinds. >>Check back with and watch Eyewitness News for updates. The Honda hit the van, and both vehicles veered off the right side of the road, striking a parked tractor-trailer, troopers said. The wreck claimed the lives of Taylor Willis, her partner, Samuel Jacob Holmes, who was driving, their children Brynlon Holmes, aged 1, and Addyson Holmes, aged 3, as well as another relative, 8-year-old Kamron Wood. 16-year-old Katelynn, who was in the van, survived the crash and was transported to Atrium Health Main for treatment. Logan Paul Sauer, who was driving the Honda died, as well. Katelynn suffered a broken pelvic bone, the family said. 'Pray for her' Motorist Laylani Collins helped the teen survivor. 'I just did it because it wasn't a second thought in my mind to just help someone,' Collins said. 'I think it was nobody but God because I missed my exit. I was supposed to get off the exit before the accident.' Collins described the scene. 'I can see one car on the left-hand side up under the trailer, another car in the back up under the trailer,' Collins said. She tended to Katelynn's injuries. She was in the backseat. Collins asked the teen if she could feel her toes. 'She was like, 'I can feel my toes. I can feel my legs,' and she started to move her legs, and I said, 'Don't move them.' I was able to pray for her, and rub her hand, and kind of keep her calm, because she was freaking out.' 'Excellent father' Samuel Holmes' sister spoke with Lowe about the tragedy. 'It's rough on us,' said the sister, who didn't want to be identified. 'Those little girls were too young. They didn't even get to see life yet.' She added, 'He was an excellent father. He did whatever he could for those little girls, and their mother, she was the best thing that ever happened to my brother.' Samuel Holmes worked as a security guard for Amazon and loved working on cars as a hobby. 'He was funny, very adventurous,' she said. If you would like to help the family of the victims in the van, click here. VICTIM: Victims' family reflect on I-485 crash that killed 6, injured 1 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
This Charlotte bar is so dangerous, police officers won't respond alone
A northeast Charlotte bar is so dangerous police officers will not respond to calls there alone, and the ABC Commission is stepping in to stop the violence. There are dozens reports of violence, including a homicide in April, that have been reported over the last few years at Mi Cabana Bar and Night Club on Eastway Drive, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's crime map. READ MORE: 1 killed after shooting in northeast Charlotte In March, CMPD officials said people were beaten outside of the bar with metal pipes as they left. One person had to be admitted to the ICU. In April, Javier Hernandez was shot and killed there. People who live and work nearby describe Mi Cabana the same way. 'Sketchy as hell,' a man old Channel 9's Joe Bruno. 'There was a lot of sketchy stuff going on.' CMPD officials said crimes happened after the bar was supposed to be closed. There has been one homicide, two weapons law violations, three robberies and three aggravated assaults since July 22, 2023, CMPD said. There have been 28 calls for service at the bar. The ABC Commission is pulling permits from Mi Cabana after CMPD officers submitted sworn affidavits saying the owner consistently sells alcoholic beverages to patrons after 2 a.m. because she makes more money selling after hours. Many crimes happen after the bar is closed. Jefry Gonzalez Artica shot and killed Javier Hernandez at around 6 a.m., CMPD said. The owner turned off the lights to get everyone to leave and walked past the victim, who was laying on the ground by the entrance, gasping for breath, CMPD said. In 2010, Channel 9 reported that CMPD got it temporarily shut down after a series of violent crimes. It eventually reopened and some hope this punishment sticks. It's about time it should be shut down. CMPD says this place is so dangerous, they won't send an officer without backup. The club can appeal the suspension of its permits. VIDEO: 1 dead after shooting at University City sports bar, CMPD says Solve the daily Crossword
