LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – A man suspected of hitting and killing a teenager with his car in Robeson County resigned from his position as a correctional officer in Tabor City Wednesday, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol identified the suspect as Michael Lenell Dortch, 45, of Lumberton, and confirm Dortch surrendered to law enforcement on Wednesday morning.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety Communications Office confirmed early Wednesday afternoon that “Michael Dortch is a correctional officer assigned to Tabor Correctional Institution in Tabor City.” Just three hours later, the communication office of the public safety department announced that Dortch resigned from his position as a correctional officer.
On Saturday, Feb. 6, at around 7:15 p.m., Austen Stevey-Ray Collins, 17, was walking along Wire Grass Road when a vehicle hit him from behind. The Highway Patrol reported Collins was walking with the flow of traffic.
Dortch’s 2014 Mitsubisihi Endeavor was seized when he turned himself in, according to the highway patrol. As of Wednesday morning, troopers were still investigating and reported charges against Dortch are expected in the case.
Collins’ mother, Melanie Collins, heard the crash Saturday night while talking to her son on the phone.
“I heard a noise, then I heard a thump as if it was like a dog or something. These people just hit my son and then just drive on and leave him. This hurts so bad in my heart,” said Collins.
The gentle giant standing at six foot three was a nose guard for the Fairmont High School football team with only one year under his belt. Not only did he have a passion for being on the field, but Collins also considered football a talent he hoped to take far in life.
“We started a little group and started rapping and we always made videos but never posted them,” said Collins best friend Zach Ransom.
Early in the investigation, the Highway Patrol said the driver who hit Collins was traveling in a light-colored SUV or van. They believed the vehicle would have front-end damage.
“I just wish they would turn themselves in. I really just wish they would. That would give me some peace that they do have some type of heart,” Collins explained prior to Dortch’s surrendering.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the North Carolina State Highway Patrol at 910-618-5555.
