A Holly Springs teenager is charged with causing one death and injuring another in a crash in the wee hours of Oct. 26.
Court documents allege that Ashton Henry Rahlfs, 16, was drunk and driving more than twice the speed limit when he hit a teen on a bike then crossed the center line to hit another vehicle.
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Max Dunham, 14, was on the bike and died at the scene.
Brandon Russell, the driver of the other car, was seriously injured, with broken arms, lung contusions and internal bleeding. He marked his 20th birthday in the hospital and has “months of recovery” ahead of him, according to his family.
Holly Springs police said Russell was pinned in his car in the crash.
Rahlfs, a 10th grader at Holly Springs High School, faces charges of second-degree murder, death by motor vehicle, DWI and driving after consuming alcohol under 21. He was held without bond.
There were two other teens in his vehicle at the time of the crash on Avent Ferry Road near Holly Meadow Drive.
According to Holly Springs Police Chief Paul Liquorie, the accident site extended more than 200 feet from the collision and officers said Rahlfs was driving recklessly before the crash. Liquorie said Rahfls’ blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
“It was tough to understand the force of the impact,” Liquorie said. “When officers first responded, it was dark, so it was tough to grasp what happened.”
Video evidence shows open and unopened cans of Twisted Tea, an alcoholic beverage, in Rahlfs’ Honda Passport and at the crash site.
“A download of the Defendant’s phone has revealed pattern of underage alcohol consumption dating back months, both in and outside of vehicles,” the court document says.
Police said more charges could be possible.
 

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