Durham man charged in fatal crash

A Durham man has been charged in a Thursday morning crash that killed a woman, authorities said.

Anthony Todd Pearce, 41, was charged with felony death by vehicle and driving while impaired. He was being held in the Durham County jail under a $30,000 bond.

Trooper M.D. Holmes of the State Highway Patrol said Pearce was eastbound on Cheek Road shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday when he lost control of his car in a curve near Arvin Road, east of Durham. The car ran off the side of the road, and the passenger side slammed into a tree, Holmes said.

Tracey Braswell Lee, 44, was killed in front passenger seat, Holmes said.

Pearce was treated at a nearby hospital and released.

Excessive speed and drugs are believed to be factors in the crash, Holmes said.