NC Trio Bobby Payne Larry Sims & Chasity Copeland, ID’d As Victims In Tuesday Triple Fatal Newton Crash

CATAWBA COUNTY, NC. (THECOUNT) — Bobby Ray Payne Jr., Larry Ray Sims Jr. and Chasity Copeland Spears, have been identified as the victims in a Tuesday afternoon triple-fatal vehicle crash in Catawba County, North Carolina.

Payne, 25, Sims 43, and 33-year-old Copeland, were all killed in a Tuesday afternoon vehicle collision in Newton near Sherrills Ford.

According to reports, Payne was operating a Hyundai Elantra on Balls Creek Road near Little Mountain Road, when for unknown reasons, the vehicle crossed centerlines and into opposing lanes around 2 p.m. Tuesday. The vehicle then came into head-on contact with a Kia Optima.

Payne was pronounced dead at scene of the crash.

Sims, the Kia driver, was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Spears, Sims’ passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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Geo quick facts: Catawba County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,810. Its county seat is Newton, and its largest city is Hickory. The county is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area – Wikipedia.