Man gets probation for fatal U.S. 401 wreck

Louisburg, N.C. — A Franklin County man was placed on probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to causing a wreck last summer that killed a local couple.

Louis Mahler Joyner, 22, of Louisburg, pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. He was sentenced to two years on probation, and his driver's license was revoked for two years.

Joyner's 2005 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck crossed the center lane on U.S. Highway 401 about five miles south of Louisburg and collided head-on with a 1998 Corvette on June 26, authorities said.

The Corvette's passengers, James Preston Holmes, 65, and Mary Charles Holmes, 65, of Louisburg, were killed in the wreck.

The Holmeses' daughter, Marbeth Holmes, has called for tougher penalties for people charged in fatal wrecks, such as an immediate suspension of driving privileges after charges are filed.