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Angier, Harnett County

Harnett County: Justin Shane Heath, 67, killed in N.C. 210 van crash near Angier

ABC11, citing troopers, said Joseph King will be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. WRAL reported the same charge and said Durham police confirmed he is a corporal.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published · Updated

What we know

Confirmed

  • One person died and eight others were hurt Saturday night, Oct. 17, 2026, in a crash involving a van and a passenger car at N.C. 210 and Old Stage Road, about a mile east of Angier.Confirmed by ABC11; CBS 17
  • The N.C. State Highway Patrol identified the man who died as Justin Shane Heath, 67, of Mount Olive, and said he was driving the van. The Mount Olive Daily Record reported that identification on Sunday. It matches ABC11's earlier Justin Heath, 67, and a WNCN account on FOX8 that named Shane Heath of Mount Olive as the van's driver.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, via Mount Olive Daily Record; ABC11; FOX8 (WNCN)
  • ABC11 and the Daily Record, both writing Monday, said Heath was a pastor and that the van was coming from a revival service. ABC11 and WRAL also described him as a former Wayne County deputy.Confirmed by ABC11; Mount Olive Daily Record; WRAL
  • Emergency crews were sent around 9:30 p.m. ABC11 cited dispatch records for that time. CBS 17, citing Harnett County authorities, reported the crash around 10 p.m.Confirmed by ABC11 (dispatch); CBS 17 (Harnett County authorities)
  • Angier Fire Chief Brent Mendenhall told CBS 17 the van overturned onto its roof and that at least two people were trapped. ABC11, citing sheriff's deputies at the scene, also described the van as overturned off the road with people trapped inside.Confirmed by Angier Fire Chief Brent Mendenhall, via CBS 17; ABC11
  • ABC11 and a WNCN account published by FOX8 said the car's driver, Joseph King, did not stop for a red light and hit the van.Confirmed by ABC11; FOX8 (WNCN)
  • On Monday, ABC11 and the Daily Record described King as an off-duty Durham Police Department corporal. WRAL said the department confirmed that rank on Monday.Confirmed by ABC11; Mount Olive Daily Record; WRAL
  • ABC11, citing the Highway Patrol on Monday afternoon, said King will be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. WRAL independently reported that charge. A charge is an accusation. We have not read a charging document or a Highway Patrol page of our own.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, via ABC11; WRAL
  • ABC11 said eight people were taken to WakeMed. CBS 17 said eight people were taken to area hospitals.Confirmed by ABC11; CBS 17
  • ABC11 said the intersection stayed closed until about 1 a.m. Sunday. The N.C. State Highway Patrol is investigating.Confirmed by ABC11; CBS 17

Still unknown

  • Whether a charging document has been filed. ABC11, citing troopers, used "will be charged." WRAL used "facing charges." We have not read a warrant, citation, or court record
  • How badly each of the eight injured people is hurt. WRAL's later count of people taken from the van is lower than the eight reported Sunday; we are keeping the Sunday figure until an official tally is posted
  • Whether children were among the injured. ABC11 cited scanner traffic for ages; we are not using that
  • King's hometown. An earlier WNCN account said Angier. WRAL said Benson

What this means for you

Roads
The N.C. 210 and Old Stage Road intersection stayed closed until about 1 a.m. Sunday, ABC11 reported.
Public safety
A charge is an accusation. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

In Harnett County, the man killed Saturday night at N.C. 210 and Old Stage Road, about a mile east of Angier, has been identified as Justin Shane Heath, 67, of Mount Olive.

The Mount Olive Daily Record, citing the N.C. State Highway Patrol, named him Sunday as the van's driver. That account lines up with ABC11's earlier report, which used Justin Heath, 67, and with a WNCN dispatch on FOX8 that used Shane Heath from the same town. Writing Monday, ABC11 and that daily paper said he was a pastor and that the van was coming from a revival. ABC11 and WRAL also described him as a former Wayne County deputy.

One person died and eight others were hurt. Emergency crews were sent around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, ABC11 reported from dispatch records. CBS 17, citing Harnett County authorities, put the crash around 10 p.m.

Angier Fire Chief Brent Mendenhall told CBS 17 the van overturned onto its roof and that at least two people were trapped. ABC11, citing sheriff's deputies at the scene, also described the van as overturned off the road with people trapped inside.

The ABC11 and WNCN reports said the car's driver, Joseph King, did not stop for a red light and hit the van. ABC11 and the Daily Record, in Monday stories, described King as an off-duty Durham Police Department corporal. WRAL said the department confirmed that rank on Monday.

ABC11, citing the Highway Patrol on Monday afternoon, said King will be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. WRAL independently reported that charge. A charge is an accusation. We have not read a charging document.

ABC11 said eight people were taken to WakeMed. The intersection stayed closed until about 1 a.m. Sunday.

What we don't know yet

We do not have a Highway Patrol news release we could read. How badly each of the eight injured people is hurt has not been released in the reports we reviewed. WRAL later used a lower count of people taken from the van; we are keeping the Sunday figure of eight until an official tally is posted.

What happens next

We will update this story if troopers post their own account or if a court record shows the charge has been filed.

This site is not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Why it matters

A Saturday-night crash at a Harnett County crossroads just south of the Wake and Johnston line killed a Mount Olive pastor and sent eight other people to hospitals. Readers need the name troopers released, and a clear line between a charge two newsrooms now report and a court filing we have not read.

Updates

  1. Oct 19, 2026, 8:10 PM

    ABC11, citing the Highway Patrol on Monday afternoon, says Joseph King will be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. WRAL independently reports that charge and says Durham police confirmed King is a corporal. We have not read a charging document.

  2. Oct 19, 2026, 6:18 PM

    The Highway Patrol, via the Mount Olive Daily Record, identifies Justin Shane Heath, 67, of Mount Olive, as the van's driver. ABC11's Justin Heath and FOX8's Shane Heath were the same person. ABC11 and the Daily Record describe Joseph King as an off-duty Durham police corporal. The specific charge is still not confirmed from a second independent account.

  3. Oct 17, 2026, 9:30 PM

    A van and a passenger car crash at N.C. 210 and Old Stage Road, about a mile east of Angier. One person dies. Eight others are taken to hospitals. The Highway Patrol investigates.

Sources

  1. Harnett County dispatch and sheriff's deputies, via ABC11: one dead and eight hurt Saturday night in a van and Honda crash at N.C. 210 and Old Stage Road; dispatch around 9:30 p.m.; van overturned with people trapped; eight taken to WakeMed; investigators said Joseph King did not stop at a red light; intersection closed until about 1 a.m.; Highway Patrol investigating; ABC11 first named Justin Heath, 67

    Official sourcePublished by Harnett County authorities, via ABC11 · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 10:15 AM

  2. Angier Fire Chief Brent Mendenhall and Harnett County authorities, via CBS 17: crash around 10 p.m. Saturday on N.C. 210 near Old Stage Road, about a mile east of Angier; van overturned on its roof; at least two people trapped; eight taken to area hospitals; Highway Patrol investigating

    Official sourcePublished by Angier Fire Department and Harnett County authorities, via CBS 17 · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 10:15 AM

  3. N.C. State Highway Patrol, via FOX8 (WNCN): a car traveling south on Old Stage Road failed to stop at a red signal and hit a van driven by Shane Heath of Mount Olive; Joseph King identified as the car's driver; charges described as pending in that account

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. State Highway Patrol, via FOX8 (WNCN) · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 10:15 AM

  4. Mount Olive Man Killed in Crash Near Angier (Mount Olive Daily Record, Oct. 18, 2026: N.C. State Highway Patrol identified the deceased driver as Justin Shane Heath, 67, of Mount Olive; eight transported to WakeMed)

    Published by Mount Olive Daily Record · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 6:10 PM

  5. Church, family mourn NC pastor killed in crash with off-duty police officer just hours after sermon (ABC11, Oct. 19, 2026: Apostle Justin Heath; Highway Patrol cited for Heath driving a van after a revival and for off-duty Durham police Cpl. Joseph King; Monday afternoon, troopers said King will be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle)

    Published by ABC11 (WTVD) · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:10 PM

  6. Pastor killed in crash after revival sermon on heaven (Mount Olive Daily Record, Oct. 19, 2026: Rev. Justin Shane Heath, 67, Mount Olive pastor; crash at Old Stage Road and N.C. 210; Highway Patrol cited for an off-duty Durham officer running a red light)

    Published by Mount Olive Daily Record · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 6:10 PM

  7. Mount Olive church leader killed, 7 people injured in Harnett Co. crash; Durham officer charged (WRAL: Justin Shane Heath, 67, died; Durham Police Department confirmed Monday that Joseph King is a corporal; WRAL reported King is facing a misdemeanor death-by-motor-vehicle charge; WRAL-only details such as Benson, a 9:45 p.m. time, a lower injury count, impairment, and an internal investigation are not used here)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:10 PM

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