A late-night collision at a busy east Charlotte intersection has now landed 22-year-old Dimas Ramirez in state prison. Ramirez pleaded guilty today and was ordered to serve 64 to 89 months for a February 2024 crash on Central Avenue that killed one person and injured several others, according to court filings. Prosecutors said the wreck at a Central Avenue intersection involved suspected alcohol impairment and that occupants of the SUV were not wearing seat belts. A months-long police investigation has now ended in a courtroom resolution.
Crash scene at Central and Sharon Amity
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say officers were called around 1:45 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2024, to a two-vehicle collision at Central Avenue and North Sharon Amity Road. When they arrived, a Chevrolet Uplander had rolled onto its passenger side and a Honda Accord had heavy front-end damage. One occupant of the Uplander was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the scene. Two other passengers from the Uplander were taken to the hospital with injuries, while the Accord’s occupants reported minor or no injuries. Those scene details were reported in local television coverage from WBTV.
How detectives built the case and made the arrest
After a multi-month review by the Major Crash Investigation Unit, detectives identified Ramirez as the Uplander’s driver and arrested him. Police charged him with felony death by motor vehicle, reckless driving, no operator’s license and no insurance. Investigators said their preliminary work indicated the Uplander ran a red light before colliding with the Accord, a detail that would later loom large in court. The arrest and initial slate of charges were made public when Charlotte-Mecklenburg police announced the case had led to an arrest, as covered by WCCB.
What investigators say they found at the scene
Officers at the scene later told investigators they saw signs that Ramirez was impaired. According to police reports, he was described as slurring his speech, smelling of alcohol and having red, glassy eyes. First responders and officers also noted that occupants of the Chevrolet were not wearing seat belts when the vehicle rolled. Those observations became part of the evidentiary puzzle the crash team assembled as they worked the case, according to reporting by WSOC.
Plea deal, forensic evidence and the prison term
Ramirez ultimately pleaded guilty in Mecklenburg County Superior Court to felony death by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and related counts. Prosecutors say the plea covered the felony death and manslaughter charges along with licensing and insurance violations. He was sentenced to an active prison term of 64 to 89 months. Court filings and the prosecution’s notes point to key forensic findings, including a reported blood-alcohol concentration of 0.17 and DNA recovered from the vehicle’s airbags that investigators say tied Ramirez to the driver’s seat. Those details were reported by Queen City News and reflected in court documents.
What North Carolina law says about death-by-vehicle cases
North Carolina prosecutes fatal impairment crashes under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-141.4, which lays out both felony and misdemeanor death-by-vehicle offenses and ties punishment to the state’s structured sentencing grid and a defendant’s prior-record level. Felony death by vehicle is charged when a death is proximately caused by impaired driving, and sentencing ranges shift depending on prior convictions and any aggravating factors. The statute’s language and sentencing framework appear in the state code on the General Assembly’s website at the N.C. General Assembly.
Local courtroom context and what comes next
The prison term in Ramirez’s case adds to a recent run of multi-year active sentences Mecklenburg prosecutors have secured in deadly-crash prosecutions resolved with guilty pleas. Locally, outcomes vary widely, with sentencing shaped by the specific facts of each wreck, measured impairment and a defendant’s prior record. Prosecutors say those factors all play into plea negotiations and recommendations to judges. Anyone with information about the Feb. 10 crash is still asked to contact Charlotte-Mecklenburg police or Crime Stoppers, according to police guidance. For additional reporting on similar local outcomes, see coverage of a recent wrong-way pickup driver case and the related release from CMPD.
