A Plain View man is facing felony child abuse and driving while impaired charges after reportedly running through a stop sign and into a tree in northern Sampson County in the early-morning hours Saturday, resulting in injuries to himself and four children in the vehicle.
According to N.C. Highway Patrol reports, Terry Nicholas Herring, 29, of Cavenaugh Road, Dunn, was traveling north on Howard Road at about 2 a.m. Saturday when he ran through the intersection with Maxwell Road. The 2008 Chevrolet pickup ran off the roadway, striking a telephone box and then a tree, reports state.
There were four children in the pickup at the time of the wreck, ranging in age from 4 to 11 years old. With the exception of the oldest child occupant, who was seated in the front passenger seat, no one was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision. Patrol reports estimate the original traveling speed of the pickup at 80 mph, approximately 60 mph at impact.
Terry Herring and the four children were transported by emergency medical personnel to Cape Fear Valley Health in Fayetteville to be treated for what authorities termed “non-life-threatening injuries.” The extent of the injuries was not immediately known, nor was the relationship between Herring and the children, who all did share the last name Herring but had a different address.
It is unclear where they were traveling during the early-morning hours, but reports indicate Herring was driving in a vehicle that did not belong to him.
Following an investigation by N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper D.E. Tew, Herring was charged Sunday with four counts of felony negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger, fraud-unauthorized use of conveyance and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse (non-assaultive).
Blood was drawn, however the results of that test was not immediately available.
Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities served the warrants, taken out by Tew. Herring was arrested at his Cavenaugh Road home, located off U.S. 421 North (Plain View Highway) and subsequently placed in the Sampson County Detention Center under $53,000 secured bond for the charges.