Hamlet man charged following deadly wreck

ROCKINGHAM — A Hamlet man is facing multiple charges after a multi-vehicle accident on U.S. 1 killed three people and seriously injured two others.

Hunter Andrew Austin, 25, of Hamlet, is charged with three felony counts of death by vehicle, two felony counts of serious injury by vehicle and a driving while impaired traffic violation.

On Nov. 13 shortly before 10 a.m., Austin was travelling north on U.S. 1 near Mercer Street in Marston. He allegedly failed to reduce speed and struck the first vehicle travelling north, causing that vehicle to cross the median and strike the second vehicle, according to court documents.

The collision resulted in the deaths of Bobbie English Schaffnit, 73, and Tracey Renee Schaffnit, 51, both of Rockingham, who were in the first vehicle, and Holly Marie Davis-Webster, 54, of West End, who was in the second vehicle, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol’s local office in Hamlet.

Two others were seriously injured, court documents indicated.

Austin is currently being held at the Richmond County Jail under a $250,000 secured bond for the death by vehicle charges, a $10,000 secured bond for the serious injury by vehicle charges and an additional $1,000 bond for the driving while impaired charge.

He is scheduled to appear in Richmond County District Court for the felony charges on Dec. 3, and is set to appear in court for the traffic charge on Jan. 20, 2021.

Records with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety show that Austin has previous convictions of misdemeanor larceny from 2015 in Richmond County and misdemeanor breaking and entering from 2019 in Richmond County. He was sentenced to probation for both convictions.