Police think driver accused in fatal crash was driving about 100 mph

Eyewitness News has learned police think the driver accused of causing a deadly crash in Huntersville was driving about 100 mph.

The crash happened Thursday afternoon, and police say it happened after a series of dangerous moves by the driver, including another crash in Charlotte just moments before the one in Huntersville.

The victim in that first crash, Marian Carpenter, told Channel 9 she was on WT Harris Boulevard in north Charlotte, trying to turn left onto Statesville Road when a white Impala jumped a median and hit her car. 

"We kind of thought maybe the car was stolen or he was running from someone,"  Carpenter said. She was not hurt.

She said the car kept going and drove north in the southbound lane of Statesville Road. 

"For someone to jump a median, and there's a big ditch there, to come up on the wrong side of the road, it's unreal,” she said.

Dennis Eddinger was one of the next drivers to encounter the speeding car on Statesville Road. 

"I looked in my mirror and here comes this car (at a) high rate of speed,” he said.  "He was pushing people off, right and left, both sides of the highway, going down the middle of the highway." 

Moments later, the deadly crash happened on the same road in Huntersville.  Police say the white Impala ran into a pickup truck. 

Joe "Red" Jones from Huntersville was driving the truck.   His family members told Eyewitness News he was a husband and father of two sons.  He was also a custom cabinet maker who was a longtime resident of Huntersville.  He died from his injuries over the weekend.

Police say 43-year-old Victor Moultry caused the crashes. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested him on Saturday and charged him with hit-and-run and property damage.  He bonded out of jail soon after. 

An Eyewitness News crew stopped by his house on Monday, but no one answered the door.  They checked his record and found out he spent about seven years in prison for a number of convictions, including attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, larceny, felony breaking and entering, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while his license was revoked.  The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles said he was driving with a valid license on Thursday, though.

Police said since Jones died, Moultry is likely to face more charges.  The Mecklenburg County DA's Office will meet with Huntersville police this week to see what charges are appropriate.

via wsoctv.com