ASHEBORO — A Providence Grove student died in an Easter Sunday traffic accident and a driver of one of the vehicles involved faces charges.
Michael Bautista-Chauiz, 16, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a passenger in the back seat.
Suzanne Lewis, 43, was charged with felony death by motor vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, driving with a revoked license, expired registration and failure to reduce speed.
The police reports says that Lewis was traveling westbound on East Dixie Drive on the afternoon of April 20 when her vehicle struck a vehicle that had stopped for a red light in the west-bound lane near Dublin Road. That collision caused the stopped vehicle to start a chain-reaction with two more vehicles involved in the crash.
One of the adults injured was airlifted to a hospital. Five other victims were transported to different medical facilities in the area, police said.
Elizabeth Chauiz, the deceased teenager’s sister, was also in the vehicle. She told a Triad television station that she suffered an injured back and a minor concussion from the accident.
Asheboro police make arrests
Asheboro police charged five individuals with the same charges, ranging from felony conspiracy, attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon intent to kill and discharge of a weapon at occupied property.
They are Jayden Maines, 18; Yosef Reyes-Gonzalez, 18; Ricardo Castaneda, 19; Cayden Ramos, 17; and Jaden McClain, 16. All of them are being charged as adults.
Reyes-Gonzalez and Castaneda were apprehended April 10 outside of city limits and Maines was apprehended April 11 outside of the city. On April 15, McClain and Ramos were arrested by Asheboro police.
These charges stem from a mid-March incident when Asheboro police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of 512 Martin Luther Jr. Dr.
A local medical facility provided information that a male – later identified as Castaneda from Staley – had arrived via private vehicle for treatment of a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his lower leg.
Police investigating determined that two apartments at 512 Martin Luther Jr. Dr. and three vehicles had received damage from gunfire.
Based on the police investigation, it was determined that multiple firearms were used and that two groups of people were shooting at each other.
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