A store clerk and underage driver have been charged following a single-vehicle collision that left one passenger dead.
On Sunday, Dec. 26, North Carolina State Highway Patrol notified ALE of a fatal collision which occurred in Wilson County at approximately 12:48 a.m. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Uriel Rodriguez Rodriguez, 19, of Wilson. SHP suspected the consumption of alcoholic beverages was a contributing factor in the collision, and troopers subsequently charged Rodriguez with provisional DWI and other motor vehicle offenses related to the crash.
Passenger Jose Nino-Garcia, 22, was ejected from the vehicle, but sustained only minor injuries. Passenger Clemente Hernandez, 22, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
ALE conducted a joint investigation with SHP to determine where Rodriguez obtained the alcoholic beverages. Through the course of the investigation, special agents determined Rodriguez purchased malt beverages from Food Mart 1, located at 6407 Ward Boulevard, Wilson, prior to the crash. The clerk, Shamakh Kahaled Mohamed Muharram, 22, of Wilson, NC was criminally charged with selling alcoholic beverages to a person less than 21 years of age.
A violation report will be submitted to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission for the underage sale at Food Mart 1, which could result in fines, suspension or revocation of ABC permits.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming.