It was indeed a deadly weekend on the roads and highways of North Carolina this past weekend.
Authorities are still trying to determine why Jason Smith was traveling the wrong way on Interstate 40 before crashing head-on into a westbound car, killing everyone.
Meanwhile, the N&R follows up on the crash that killed UNCG freshman Linsey Lunsford and her 9-year-old sister Maggie, while the N&O (no surprise) continues to place the burden on Franklinton Police Officer Mike Dunlap instead of the driver, Guy Ayscue:
Ayscue’s reckless driving was a threat to public safety, but it wasn’t armed robbery. Instead of giving chase, Dunlap could have gathered as much identifying information as possible, broken off the pursuit when it became clear the driver was determined to flee, and notified other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout. With enough identification, an arrest could have been made later.
It’s true that Ayscue, 38, of Henderson, might have hurt someone a few miles down the road. He did have a 20-year criminal record that included driving-while-impaired charges. But Dunlap didn’t know that at the time, according to Franklinton Police Chief Ray Gilliam.
So the question here is whether or not Dunlap would have been justfied in pursuing Ayscue in a high-speed chase if he had just committed an armed robbery, as opposed to the assault with a deadly weapon he was in the process of committing. Sorry, I’m just not buying the N&O’s logic. I realize the grieving family is trying to make sense of this tragic situation, but in my mind, there’s one person responsible, and it’s Guy Ayscue. His incredibly selfish behavior, without regard for the safety of others, has resulted in the loss of two innocent lives. That’s what needs to be said.
