‘Tragic loss': Community mourns 8-year-old girl killed in head-on crash
State troopers told Channel 9's Dave Faherty the girl's father, Jacob Ferguson, is still in the hospital in critical condition.
ALSO READ >> 8-year-old killed in Burke County crash
Community members have left stuffed animals and flowers for the family of the young girl.
The little girls school, New Dimensions, posted about the 'tragic loss' and that they'll be taking up donations for the family.
Faherty learned that other businesses in Burke County also plan on taking up donations for the family.
Tommy Carpenter, a pastor who lives nearby, told Channel 9 that he watched the girls grow up, playing in the yard, and prays for the family.
The accident happened after a pickup truck crossed the center line striking a Kia Forte with the father and daughter inside, officials said.
Investigators believe impairment was a contributing factor in the crash, and charges are pending against the driver of that truck.
VIDEO: 'Just unreal': Country music star, non-profit gift house to family who lost home in Helene

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Yahoo
1 person killed in Gastonia officer-involved shooting
One person is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Gastonia Thursday night, police said. ALSO READ >> Second arrest made in deadly east Charlotte shooting According to a release from the Gastonia Police Department, officers responded to a call about an assault around 10:30 p.m. on Hickory Hollow Road, not far from New Hope Road and Hudson Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers were informed by a relative of the suspect that the suspect was armed and had fired a shot. After about two hours of negotiations, police say the suspect, identified as Jeremy Jackson Bonham, 39, emerged from the back of the house and opened fire on the officers with a rifle. Multiple officers returned fire, killing Bonham. No officers were injured during the incident. As per protocol, the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave while the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation conducts an investigation into the shooting. Channel 9 is asking Gastonia Police for more information about the shooting and what led up to it. This is a developing story. Check back with for updates. VIDEO: Suspect denied bond after shooting officer in Uptown; victim in ICU
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
Parents plead guilty after boy fatally struck by car in Gastonia
A couple pleaded guilty to felony child abuse inflicting serious injury after their 7-year-old son, Legend Jenkins, was fatally struck by a car on May 27 in Gastonia. PAST COVERAGE: Parents charged after 7-year-old boy fatally struck by car in Gastonia Samuele Jenkins and Jessica Ivey, the parents of Legend Jenkins, appeared in court on Monday morning to enter their pleas. The incident occurred on the 1000 block of West Hudson Boulevard, where Legend Jenkins and another child were attempting to cross the road unsupervised to go to Subway when Legend was hit by a Jeep Cherokee driven by a 76-year-old woman. 'All I got to say is, long live Legend,' Jenkins said. Jenkins' attorney told the judge the father decided to send Legend and his 10-year-old brother to the Subway restaurant for food. 'His wife, Ms. Ivey, was opposed to it,' said defense attorney Chuck Lifford. 'He talked her into it. He thought he could control things via cell.' Security camera video showed that the 10-year-old was on the phone as Legend struggled to carry a big bag of food across the parking lot. The prosecutor said that's when then their mother also appeared on camera as she went to the Food Lion next door. She spoke with Channel 9 day after the crash, and she said she spoke to her sons and they insisted on walking home. 'That exchange never happened,' Warner said. 'At no point does she interact with or speak with the boys who are still in the parking lot.' Moments later Legend stepped in front of a car on Hudson Boulevard. They crossed the road in the middle of the block where there wasn't a crosswalk, police said. Both parents were initially charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony child neglect, and misdemeanor child neglect following the incident. They couldn't get out of jail to attend Legend's memorial service. 'I stand here with a heavy heart and can't image the grief they are experiencing,' said prosecutor Joshua Warner. He said Ivey has five more children. The prosecutor said that's why they offered a plea. He mentioned the 10-year-old who he said tried to grab his brother out of harm's way at the last second. 'Those children need their parents, Warner said about the child who witnessed it. '(He)tragically witness to these events needs his parents.' The couple each received a suspended sentence of 19-32 months and 36 months probation. The investigation revealed that there was no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver, so she has not been charged. District Attorney Travis Page explained, 'My heart is broken for a young boy that will grow up without a brother, a motorist that will never forget the sounds and images of a horrible accident, and candidly, for parents dealing with the unimaginable loss of a son,' said District Attorney Travis Page. 'There is no prison or punishment worse than a parent living with the knowledge their decision-making and their actions caused the harm of their own child. These parents do not deserve prison—they need mercy, they need grace, and they need a community to support them and other struggling parents in hopes that a tragedy such as this will never happen again.' VIDEO: 7-year-old boy hit and killed near Gastonia grocery store


San Francisco Chronicle
16-06-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. coffee scion who tried to run for mayor arrested in bizarre incident — accused of ramming Tesla guard
A Bay Area entrepreneur, photographer, aspiring politician and heir to a historic San Francisco coffee company fortune chased down a Tesla security guard in a Land Rover, rammed another occupied car and fled from Fremont police in a bizarre incident last Thursday, authorities allege. Austin Hills, 45, is charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of evading an officer in connection with the alleged attack, according to Alameda County Superior Court records. At the time of his arrest, he allegedly had items including a pressure cooker, a gas mask, a drone and ammunition in his SUV. Hills, who has lived in San Francisco and Napa and according to court records suffers from bipolar disorder, had aspirations to run for San Francisco mayor last year and district attorney in 2022, despite not being a lawyer. While he took the initial steps to compete in both races, he did not appear on the ballot for either contest. Hills' great-grandfather and great-uncle founded Hills Bros. Coffee in the late 1800s, selling coffee at a shop on Harrison Street. Nestle, Sara Lee and eventually Massimo Zanetti purchased the company as it expanded nationwide. The prominent Hills Bros. Coffee sign can be seen along the Embarcadero waterfront. A Tesla security employee told Fremont police that he was taking his lunch break in a blue Tesla Model X around 3:15 a.m. last Thursday when a man driving a Land Rover 'made an unusual hand gesture,' then began to tailgate him, according to a probable cause declaration underlying the charges. The Land Rover driver, who police later identified as Hills, allegedly turned off his headlights and repeatedly tried to rear-end the Tesla 'at high speeds,' records show. The security guard said he drove to the Tesla warehouse on Page Avenue, where Hills pursued him into the parking lot, trying to ram and cut off the other car. Hills then allegedly rammed a parked and occupied Kia Forte on Page Avenue three times before fleeing onto Kato Road, where Fremont police located him. Authorities said Hills, wearing glasses and a grey sport jacket, ignored the officers and fled onto Interstate 680. Police authorized a pursuit but lost sight of the Land Rover after it turned off its lights and 'began driving erratically at a high rate of speed,' according to court records. Napa officers arrested Hills around 7:20 a.m. the same morning at Napa police headquarters, according to court records, before Fremont police took custody of him and his Land Rover. Investigators found multiple cell phones, laptops, a metal pressure cooker, a gas mask, a drone, 'extended shell casings,' gas cans and alcohol in the Land Rover, according to court records. According to the investigators, Hills admitted he was the driver of the Land Rover, but claimed the Tesla driver was driving erratically and that he collided with another vehicle that blocked him in. Police said Hills told investigators he had no recollection of ramming any other vehicles or fleeing from police, attributing his lack of memory to 'stress.' Police said he 'showed no remorse for his actions,' according to records. Hills was being held at Santa Rita Jail. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday. A Facebook page for Hills describes him as the owner of San Francisco Supercars, an enterprise he founded in 2009 to 'share his love for cars with all,' by renting out rare 'exotic' sports cars, according to the company's Yelp page. A home address listed for Hills in court records is for Dos Colinas Events, a wedding venue in Napa wine country. Hills is the eldest son of Austin E. Hills, a San Francisco socialite and the co-founder and chairman of the board of Grgich Hills Estate, a family-owned winery in Napa Valley. 'He has a checkered employment history, having been unemployed far longer than employed throughout his adult life,' his father wrote in a 2020 court filing. Last week, San Francisco transportation officials towed away a Tesla registered to the Austin Edward Hills Trust that had been abandoned at Alta Plaza Park. Who parked the car there, and why, remained a mystery as of Monday. No one answered the doorbell at a Pacific Heights residence associated with the younger Austin Hills on Monday afternoon, a 9-bedroom, 9.5-bath home across the street from the section of the park where the blue Model S Tesla was found parked. Hills' neighbors declined to comment. Hills has an 'extensive and violent criminal history' that has included arrests on suspicion of arson, assault with a deadly weapon and firearms-related violations, Alameda County prosecutors said in court records. Court records show Hills has 11 criminal cases in San Francisco stemming from arrests spanning from 2009 through last summer. His most recent case, from July 2024, was referred to mental health diversion. Hills also has a long history of trying to run for office. In 2016, he wrote on Facebook, 'DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER TO VOTE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. I AM OFFICIALLY REGISTERED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS AN INDEPENDENT WRITE IN CANDIDATE!!!!'