Man Accused Of Driving Drunk, Wrong Way And Causing Deadly Rowan County Crash

Police say a man was driving drunk and the wrong way on the interstate when he caused a crash that killed a man and injured his 4-year-old niece.

John Turner is charged with second-degree murder and driving while impaired.

Troopers say he got onto Interstate 85 at Lane Street in Cabarrus County around 11:30 p.m. Thursday and went the wrong direction. A vehicle going the correct direction swerved to miss Turner’s car near exit 63 in Rowan County, and flipped into the median, troopers said. The driver of that car, Heath Kelly, died at the scene.

Kelly’s niece, Cristina Kelly, is in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center.

Troopers say Turner kept going after the crash, but an officer stopped his car and arrested him three miles away. He’s being held in the Rowan County correctional facility.