Officials: 2 adults arrested for selling alcohol to teen killed in Burke County crash

Highway Patrol says it appears he lost control, overcorrected, spun around and slammed into...
Highway Patrol says it appears he lost control, overcorrected, spun around and slammed into the pole and hydrant.(Steve Ohnesorge | WBTV (custom credit))
Published: Jan. 31, 2019 at 6:09 PM EST
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HILDEBRAN, NC (WBTV) - Officials say two adults have been arrested after an alcohol-related crash left an 18-year-old East Burke High School student dead on Jan. 23.

Myles Bradley Davis, 18, of Hildebran was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 70A shortly after he left home that night. Davis was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, troopers suspected Davis was impaired prior to the accident after alcohol was found near the vehicle. Troopers notified North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement who began a joint investigation into how Davis got the alcohol.

That investigation led troopers to his home, where they found three, unconscious underage individuals.

ALE special agents later interviewed the individuals to find out more about the events which led to Davis’ death.

The investigation led special agents to a convenience store in Hildebran.

Cody Childress, 37, and Amanda Mullins, 37, of Rhodhiss, deliberately overrode the cash register’s age-verification system in order to sell alcoholic beverages to Davis, who was under the age of 21 and intoxicated.

Officials arrested and charged Childress and Mullins with the sale of alcoholic beverages to a person under the age of 21, and the sale of alcoholic beverages to an intoxicated person.

“These arrests underscore the importance of checking identifications before selling alcoholic beverages to anyone who may be underage,” said ALE Assistant Special Agent in Charge M. Shoaf “Additionally, clerks have a responsibility to ensure they never sell alcoholic beverages to a person who is intoxicated.”

Childress and Mullins were taken before a Burke County Magistrate and each given a $20,000 secured bond. They are due in court May 1.

ALE’s 109 specially trained agents have the authority to arrest and take investigatory action for any criminal offense. Their primary responsibility is the enforcement of Alcoholic Beverage Control laws and state lottery laws. ALE is a branch of the State Bureau of Investigation.

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