Creedmoor pastor killed when car is rear-ended

Butner police said Marc Tilley and his wife were stopped at a traffic light on N.C. Highway 56 near W. Lyon Station Road when their vehicle was rear-ended by a truck.

Authorities said Tilley died at the scene and his wife was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Clifton Alexander Smith Jr., of Henderson, has been charged with failure to stop at a stop light, failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision and not having a valid operator's license for the vehicle he was driving. Investigators did not say if they would consider filing more serious charges against Smith.

According to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church’s website, Tilley is originally from Durham and is a graduate of North Carolina State University. He had been with the church since 2000.