FROM STAFF REPORTS

An Iredell County Superior Court judge on Friday modified the bond conditions of a man charged with killing three people in a crash on Fort Dobbs Road in Statesville.

Prosecutors filed a motion to change the conditions of Austin Ray Harmon’s pre-trial release following his arrest last month.

Austin Harmon

Harmon, 23, of Phillips Landing, Statesville, was charged with being intoxicated and disruptive by Statesville police on April 29.

At the time of his latest arrest, Harmon was free on $310,000 bond while awaiting trial on charges he caused the deaths of Michael Shane Marlowe, 39, and two of his children, Bentley Marlowe, 5, and Jada Marlowe, 13. Marlowe’s partner, Amy Mills, their daughter Bailey Marlowe, and a family friend, Teagan Murphy, were all seriously injured.

Harmon was driving a vehicle that collided with a golf cart Michael Marlowe was operating on June 13, 2022.

The N.C. Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash, charged Harmon with three counts of felony death by motor vehicle, three counts of serious injury by motor vehicle, DWI and reckless driving. Under state sentencing guidelines, he faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

During Friday’s hearing, Judge Greg Horne prohibited Harmon from using, possessing or consuming any alcohol, illegal drug or controlled substance unless lawfully prescribed and in its original container, as a condition of his pre-trial release.

The judge also ordered that Harmon submit to continuous alcohol monitoring. He has seven days to get that alcohol monitor in place.

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