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11:07 p.m. • 5-22-13

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Published: 2013-03-18 11:46:00
Updated: 2013-03-18 23:13:35

Driver in Raleigh wrong-way wreck had previous DWI charges


Ray Rouse, fatal wrong-way crash in Raleigh
Ray Rouse, fatal wrong-way crash in Raleigh
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A Raleigh man involved in a wrong-way collision in Raleigh Sunday had been charged with driving under the influence three previous times, according to court records.

According to a Raleigh police report, Ray Norman Rouse IV was going west in an eastbound lane of Wade Avenue when he struck a car driven by Ormond Jackson Bailey near the Glenwood Avenue exit. Bailey, 83, and his wife, Gaynell Batton Bailey, 79, died at WakeMed from their injuries.

An off-duty paramedic and his wife were among the first on the scene. She called 911.

"There are two sedans. It was a head-on. The guy was in the wrong lane driving down the road," the woman told the 911 dispatcher.

Rouse, 34, was also taken to WakeMed, where he was listed in critical condition on Monday. Police said they planned to charge him with DWI and driving the wrong way on a dual-lane highway once he is released from the hospital.

Wake County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cruden said two warrants charging Rouse with felony death by motor vehicle also would be served on Rouse upon his release.

Rouse, a Goldsboro native and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate, pleaded guilty to DWI in Durham County after a September 2001 arrest. Similar charges were dismissed against him in April 2005 in Wake County and February 2006 in Wake County, according to court records.

His family declined to comment Monday.

Friends of the Baileys said the couple was heading home after church and lunch to watch basketball on television when the crash occurred.

Wade Avenue was closed between Glenwood Avenue and Capital Boulevard for several hours while investigators were at the scene.


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mvschaffer77---I agree with you, but I will say this, if the Argus gets wind of it, you can guarantee they will get something wrong. I'm from Goldsboro as well and have known the family for as long as I can remember.

@jwstevens04 I know he is from Goldsboro...I grew up there as well and went to school with Ray. I was just pointing out that the article not being in the News Argus doesn't necessarily have anything to do with money or politics because he isn't a current resident of Goldsboro so it wouldn't be a given to be covered by the local paper.

He's a victim of this society's concept of having fun means getting drunk, and St Patrick's Day is a drunken holiday. We're all victims in some way, adn we are all to share the blame." -djofraleigh

I bounced at a bar this weekend downtown and flagged down lots and lots of cabs for people who were taking responsibilty for their fun. I would have flagged down a cab for this guy too if he had asked.

"We don't know the condition of this driver today, do we? Let's hope he survives and finds a way to redeem himself for killing two people. He isn't an evil person, and advised people not to drink & drive in the st pat's day a year or two ago. He's a victim of this society's concept of having fun means getting drunk, and St Patrick's Day is a drunken holiday. We're all victims in some way, adn we are all to share the blame. djofraleigh"

He is a victim ??? Really ???

"He's a victim of this society's concept of having fun means getting drunk, and St Patrick's Day is a drunken holiday. We're all victims in some way, adn we are all to share the blame." -djofraleigh

This guy is a victim? No, this guy is a double murderer. And, until we enact a stronger punishment as a society, this trend of drunk driving murders will continue to rise.

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