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Newland man charged in crash that killed 2 college cyclists
JORDAN MENDOZA USA TODAY
Two college cyclists in Tennessee were killed and multiple more injured when a vehicle struck the team while it was on a training ride. The driver faces criminal charges.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Steve Finney, district attorney general for Carter County, Tennessee, identified John Benfield, 69, of Newland, North Carolina, as the driver of the vehicle that hit the cyclists. Benfield was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. He remains in custody.
Milligan University sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed in the collision that occurred around 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 19, in Hampton, about six miles east of where Milligan is located in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Officials said the team was on a training ride when Benfield struck the team. In addition to the deaths of Engdahl and Rogers, seven members of the cycling team were injured and taken to a nearby hospital.
Officials said four people were in the surgical intensive care unit, two were admitted to the hospital but in stable condition and one person was evaluated and released from the hospital.
"It is more important than ever right now that Milligan is a community gathered around Jesus, and we need Jesus deeply," university President Stephen Waers said in a news conference. "I would like to invite the entire community into prayer with us, into grief with the families with us, and into deep prayer for the families of those we have lost."
Tennessee Highway Patrol Maj. Roy Brown said it is an active investigation to determine what happened.
Milligan University is a private Christian university with just over 1,200 students. The Buffaloes are part of the NAIA level of college sports.
The Milligan cycling team is a successful one, having just won the men's team time trial national championship at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, in May. The track team was scheduled to begin its 2026-27 season at the Rock Hill Velodrome in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Aug. 20, but its participation has been canceled according to the athletics website.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Marion man charged with drug possession, resisting an officer
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Buie
A Marion man has been charged with drug possession and resisting a law enforcement officer.
On Monday, Aug. 17, Deputy Connor Tolley with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on a Jeep Grand Cherokee off of Exit 81 on Interstate 40 for a traffic violation, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
Joshua Thomas Buie, 37, of Marion, was a passenger in the vehicle and was found to have an outstanding warrant against him for assault on a female in McDowell County, the release said.
After being asked to step out of the car, Buie refused. He then became aggressive and resisted deputies when being removed from the vehicle, the sheriff's office said.
Once in custody, a search turned up a suspected amount of methamphetamine and a used syringe.
Buie was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor resisting a public officer. He was issued a secured bond of $15,000, according to the news release.
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