A tragic golf cart accident in North Carolina has led to the conviction of a local man for the deaths of a father and his two children.
On Monday, a jury in Iredell County reached a verdict against 26-year-old Austin Ray Harmon, finding him guilty on three counts each of felony death by vehicle and felony serious injury by vehicle. Additionally, Harmon was convicted of driving while impaired.
The incident, which was previously covered by CrimeOnline, occurred on June 13, 2022. Harmon collided with a family of five riding a golf cart on Fort Dobbs Road near Statesville.
The crash resulted in the deaths of three individuals, whose identities have not been disclosed here.
- Michael Shane Marlowe, 39
- Jada Marlowe, 13
- Bentley Marlowe, 5
Severely injured in the collision were Marlowe’s fiancé, Amy Mills; their 2-year-old daughter, Bailey; and a family friend, 16-year-old Teagan Murphy.
“She was so little,” Mills recounted tearfully about her daughter Bailey. “I just threw her and hoped for the best.”
Mills lost a part of her leg and spent a month in recovery, WSOC-TV 9 reports.
Police said Harmon had been driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.12 when the crash occurred, according to Iredell Free News.
The defense argued that the golf cart pulled in front of Harmon’s Honda Accord, and that Michael Marlowe had been drinking alcohol hours before the collision.
The prosecution said Harmon crossed a center line and hit the golf cart head-on, while driving under the influence of both drugs and alcohol.
“I seen a baby laying in the road,” Chief Todd Lendernan testified. “I seen one face down that was deceased. I seen another with people working on it, and I seen the mother and they’re yelling, ‘Please get me more tourniquets.’”
The deliberated for around six hours before returning a guilty verdict.
Harmon, who declined to speak during the trial, was reportedly “inconsolable” after the incident, his attorney said.
“He would do anything to go back and undo the events of that day,” attorney Kaleigh Darty said. “He understands the gravity of what was lost to the Marlowe family.”
A judge ordered Harmon to serve 30 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
[Feature Photo: Bentley, Michael, and Jada; Nicholas Funeral Home/Legacy]
