LUMBERTON — A man has been arrested and charged with the 2015 death of his wife that occurred during a traffic accident, according to the Robeson County District Attorney’s Office.
Christopher Wayne Brown, 43, of Rowland, was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving and driving left of center in the death of Scarlet Locklear Brown, according to Erick Hackney, an investigator with the office. Brown was placed in the Robeson County Detention Center under a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in District Court today.
The charging of Brown was delayed because the Highway Patrol conducted the initial investigation but no conclusion was reached, Hackney said. The case was turned over to Hackney and the Robeson County District Attorney’s Office in November.
The charges stem from a three-vehicle collision on June 14, 2015, on U.S. 74 near Pembroke that resulted in multiple injuries and one fatality.
Brown was driving a motorcycle east with his wife as a passenger. Tyler Frederick Cummings, 28, of Laurinburg, was traveling west, driving a 1997 Jeep and pulling a trailer. His brother Steven Cummings was a front-seat passenger.
Brown was traveling about 85 mph, drifted left of the center and struck Cummings’ vehicle, causing it and the trailer to overturn, Hackney said. The impact threw both Browns about 500 feet. At impact, Christopher Brown’s motorcycle broke into pieces, with one piece traveling toward other motorcycles traveling with Brown. One piece struck Cody Barton, 22, of Maxton, and fractured his left leg.
Scarlet Brown died at the scene, according to incident reports. Christopher Brown lost his left leg and suffered a punctured lung, six fractured ribs and four cracked vertebra. Tyler Cummings was knocked unconscious and suffered injury from broken glass. Steven Cummings suffered injury from broken glass and a leg injury.
Brown was arrested Jan. 22 in Pembroke for driving while impaired, Hackney said. Brown’s blood alcohol level was .18. The legal limit in North Carolina is .08.
