James Howell

Staff Writer

jhowell@heartlandpublications.com

Local mother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after a car accident resulted in the loss of her two-year-old son.

Jessica Myers, 23, of West Jefferson, will appear in court Nov. 29, to face the involuntary manslaughter charge.

The death Myers two-year-old son, named Brayden Roten, came as a result of a two-vehicle collision on Saturday Sept. 22, when Myers pulled her Dodge Neon in front of an oncoming Ford Excursion, driven by Allen Cole of Lansing, at the intersection of the Robert G. Barr Expressway, U.S. 221 bypass, and Mt. Jefferson Road.

Myers and her 10-month-old daughter, Zoey Roten, also sustained injuries during the accident. Myers was transported to Baptist Hospital is Winston-Salem, while her daughter was treated at Ashe Memorial Hospital.

N.C. Highway Patrolman Jason Brown was first on the scene to investigate the accident. According to Brown, there is no evidence to suggest Myers was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the accident.

According to Pam Barlow, Ashe County Clerk of Superior Court, Brown sent his report to the district attorney’s office in Wilkesboro.

Barlow said upon seeing the report of the accident, the district attorney’s office deemed that, due the circumstances surrounding the accident, Myers would be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

District Attorney Tom Horner could not be reached by press time.

Myers is currently out of jail on a $10,000 unsecured bond.