Fired Mecklenburg DA employee accused of driving wrong way, causing fatal crash
A fired Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office employee is accused of driving the wrong way on a Charlotte interstate early Saturday and causing a fatal crash, law enforcement said Monday.
Johana Marbella Martinez was driving north in a southbound Interstate 85 lane when she collided with another vehicle at 3:16 a.m., according N.C. State Highway Patrol Master Trooper Roger Roberts.
The crash occurred at mile marker 43.4, Roberts said. Martinez, who was driving a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, was taken to the hospital after colliding with a black BMW.
The driver of the BMW, Lauren Shamariah Foster, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene, Rogers said.
Martinez was charged with felony death by motor vehicle.
District Attorney Spencer Merriweather fired Martinez, who is not a lawyer, following the crash, a news release from his office said. Merriweather is appointing a prosecutor from outside his office to prosecute Martinez’s case, the news release said.
“While those charged with a crime have a right to a fair trial, a pending arrest warrant supported by probable cause for such a violation is incompatible with values of fidelity to the law and high standards of personal conduct that the DA’s Office demands,” the news release said. “We are devastated for the family of the slain driver, and they remain in our prayers in this hour of loss.”
Martinez’s bond information was not immediately available.
