Teacher Charged in Deaths of N.C. High School Football Players Killed in ATV Accident

A teacher has been charged in connection with the deaths of two North Carolina high school football players killed in an ATV crash last summer.

Ashley Marie Darity, 34, is charged with two counts of felony involuntary manslaughter related to the August 2024 deaths of Layne Jones and Jayden Reynaldo, the Alcohol Law Enforcement division of the state Department of Public Safety confirmed in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

Darity, who was arrested on Feb. 13, was released on a $20,000 secured bond, per court records reviewed by PEOPLE.

Jones and Reynaldo were riding a 2015 Polaris Sportsman ATV on Aug. 25, 2024, when they went around a curve and crashed the four-wheeler into a tree in Transylvania County, state authorities said, per the Transylvania Times, USA Today and NBC News. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.  

The state Department of Public Safety said in its statement that alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash that killed the boys, who were football players at Rosman High School. According to the Transylvania Times, authorities believe the teenagers attended a house party prior to the crash.

A school district official confirmed to NBC News and USA Today that Darity was a substitute teacher in the Transylvania County Schools District from 2021 to 2023. It’s unclear which school she worked for, though Rosman High School is part of the district.

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Two others have also been arrested amid the investigation. Brandon Kaine Rathbone and Patricia Faye Whitehead, both of Balsam Grove, N.C., were each charged with aiding and abetting a person less than 21 years of age in the possession and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages, per the statement shared with PEOPLE.

The state Department of Public Safety said the charges stem from “a previous incident discovered during this investigation that occurred at the same residence.”

Authorities said the investigation into the fatal crash remains ongoing.

The Transylvania County School District mourned the loss of two students in a statement shared on social media in August 2024.

“In moments like these, words often fall short,” the district said. “Our hearts are broken, and we are grieving together as a community. The loss of such young, vibrant lives is a stark reminder of how precious life is and how deeply we are all connected.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Darity’s attorney, Sean Devereux, for comment.