Wed less than a year, wife begs driver who hit husband to come forward

James Demetrius Mims was commuting as he did every day, from the apartment he shared with Sherron Alston in the Pine Winds community to a Popeyes' where he worked.

Just before 6:30 a.m., Mims was hit, and he died at the scene.

"We just got married in June," a heartbroken Alston said. "We're still basically newlyweds, and he's been ripped from me. No one should have to experience what I am experiencing."

Alston, who says she is still in shock at her loss, remembered her husband as a man with a big heart.

"He was just loving," she said, adding that Mims was the father of seven children.

"If he was here now and seeing my crying, he would just hold me and tell me to stop crying, that it's going to be OK and that he's here," she said. "But he's not."

Capt. Joe Binns of the Garner Police Department said three vehicles were involved in the crash at Pinewinds Drive and U.S. 401, and that police were interested in talking to the driver of a Hyundai Sonata which left the scene.

"One of those vehicles did leave the scene, and we are looking for anybody that might have information about that vehicle that was involved in this pedestrian fatality," he said.

​Alston begged the Hyundai driver to come forward, saying she is ready to forgive.

"Just please come forward so we can have some type of closure in this case," she said. "Everyone should be able to take responsibility for their actions.

"May God have mercy on your soul," she added.

Binns acknowledged the danger of Mims' commute, saying, “On a road such as this that doesn’t have a crosswalk, obviously, someone who is crossing the road – a four-lane highway in the dark – they’re going to have to watch out for their safety."

Alston said the family would welcome donations to help defray the costs of Mims' funeral. They can be made to Chappell's Funeral Home in Garner.