The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys has agreed to take over prosecution of the Wilson County e-bike crash case that killed two people and left their families accusing local authorities of protecting the son of a veteran sheriff's captain. Wilson County District Attorney Jeff Marsigli confirmed the referral after weeks of public pressure from relatives of victims Jason Williams, 49, and Charise Dickerson, 42, who were struck and killed while riding together on an electric bicycle.
The crash happened around 5 a.m. on September 24 in the 2800 block of Tilghman Road, according to the Wilson Police Department. Collision reports reviewed by WRAL estimate that 22-year-old Collin Weston McLaughlin was driving his 2018 Toyota Camry roughly 91 mph in a 45 mph zone when he slammed into the tandem e-bike, which was traveling about 15 mph. The impact scattered wreckage and dragged debris across 419 feet of roadway, and both Williams and Dickerson, who lived in Wilson, were pronounced dead at the scene.
McLaughlin did not turn himself in for more than a day after the crash. Search warrant records cited by WRAL show he called his father, Wilson County Sheriff's Office Captain James McLaughlin, a 30-year veteran of the department, before he ever dialed 911 — and that the captain arrived at the crash scene around the same time as first responders. The Sheriff's Office has maintained that the connection did not influence the investigation, per the same WRAL reporting.
Breath Test Results and a Six-Day Delay
Officers administered a preliminary breath test to McLaughlin at the scene that came back positive for alcohol, and hospital field sobriety tests indicated further signs of impairment, according to police search warrants referenced by WRAL. Yet charges were not filed until six days after the crash. Marsigli acknowledged that officers could have arrested McLaughlin for DWI at the scene, WRAL reported. The district attorney addressed the delay publicly.
McLaughlin ultimately was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of felony death by motor vehicle, per the Wilson Police Department. He was jailed on a $1 million bond and released after paying it. Relatives of the two victims held public protests outside the Wilson County Courthouse after McLaughlin posted bond and was released from custody in under 12 hours following his surrender, according to IBTimes UK.
A Documented Pattern of Speeding
North Carolina court records show McLaughlin had received at least five traffic citations since 2022, including one for driving 95 mph in a 45 mph zone and another for 90 mph in a 55 mph zone, the same WRAL reporting shows. Each citation was reduced or dismissed, leaving him with minor warnings and a total of $713 in fines. Court filings also show McLaughlin was arrested in West Virginia in 2024 on charges of driving under the influence, speeding, and carrying an open container. Victims' family members have cited this record directly when alleging McLaughlin received preferential treatment because of his father's position.
During McLaughlin's first court appearance, relatives expressed concern about favoritism. Alesia Dickerson, identified as Charise Dickerson's mother, said she wanted the case moved out of Wilson County and said she felt justice was not being served. She and other family members said they believed McLaughlin should not have received bond at all and wanted another office entirely to handle the prosecution.
Case Now in the Hands of a Resource Prosecutor
Marsigli had said last week he was considering referring the case to the Conference of District Attorneys, and he has since confirmed that the McLaughlin cases were referred to and accepted by the statewide body. Under North Carolina General Statute § 7A-411, resource prosecutors appointed by the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys assume full prosecutorial power equivalent to an assistant district attorney in the local jurisdiction, and they take the same oath of office as elected DAs.
The legal stakes for McLaughlin are severe. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-17(b), second-degree murder involving a vehicle is a Class B2 felony that requires proving malice — such as extreme recklessness showing total disregard for human life — and carries a mandatory active prison sentence of 94 to 484 months, according to DeMent Askew Johnson & Marshall. Malice in vehicle cases may involve wanton disregard for human life, including excessive speed, extreme recklessness, or multiple prior DWIs. Separately, the felony death by vehicle charges fall under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4, a Class D felony carrying up to 204 months in prison and mandatory license revocation, per the Fanney Law Office.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for October 13 in Wilson County. Formal toxicology results, the identity of the specific resource prosecutor assigned to the file, and what additional evidence surfaces at the hearing all remain open questions as the case moves out of local hands and into the state system.
