GASTONIA, N.C. — Police have arrested and charged a 29-year-old Gastonia man for his involvement in a fatal drunk driving collision on February 28th.
Officers say Onkevious Thomas, 29, was charged with DWI and 2nd Degree Murder after his passenger died due to injuries received in the single-vehicle collision detailed below.
Onkevious Thomas
Around 2 a.m. on February 28th, officers and fire and rescue personnel responded to the intersection of S. Clay Street and W. Third Avenue for the report of a 2015 Honda Accord that struck a telephone pole and then struck a tree.
Officers say the driver of the Honda, later identified as Thomas, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Police determined Thomas was driving while intoxicated and charged him that night with several traffic offenses including DWI.
While officers investigated the collision, they were told that an adult male passenger in the Honda walked away from the collision, prior to fire and rescue arrival.
A K-9 officer then attempted to track down the passenger, but was unable to find him.
Several hours later, police say they were notified that a 31-year-old man had been taken by ambulance from a home in Gastonia to a local hospital after the man experienced a medical event at home.
Officers say the man, now identified as Travis Sharpe of Gastonia, died in the ambulance while on the way to the hospital.
Detectives later determined Sharpe was the passenger who walked away from the Honda after the collision and his injuries/cause of death were determined to be related to injuries received in the collision.
Subsequently, police say Thomas was charged with 2nd Degree Murder after Sharpe’s death.
