ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA — A judge has refused to lower the $1.6 million bond for Michael Ray Vernon, the driver accused of causing a deadly dump truck crash in Eden that killed four utility workers and injured others after investigators say the truck ran a stop sign.

Vernon, 66, of Eden, was indicted in November on four counts of second-degree murder and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. The charges stem from the April 24, 2025 crash where six people were struck and four later died from their injuries. During Tuesday’s hearing, family members of the victims spoke, but the judge declined to reduce Vernon’s bond.

The four men killed were identified as: Douglas Garland Sides, 71, of Summerfield; Madison Carter, 32, of Sandy Ridge; William Evans, 35, of Randleman; and Matthew Lockwood, 30, of Winston-Salem. Officials said Carter, Evans and Lockwood worked for Carolina Power, while Sides worked for Victory Powerline Services.

According to the City of Eden, Vernon had been employed as an Equipment Operator II in the city’s Solid Waste Division and started on Aug. 23, 2017. After the crash, the city said Vernon and Public Works Operations Superintendent Elmer “Dusty” Curry were fired, and Public Works Operations Manager Darren Gatewood retired in the weeks that followed.

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