Driver Wanted For Deadly Hit And Run Accident Is Apprehended, SHP Says

Robert Brad Williams (left) is escorted by two state troopers to a patrol car following his apprehension during a felony traffic stop on Interstate 95 near Dunn on January 4, 2025. Photo by Thomas Honeycutt

DUNN – The Highway Patrol apprehended a man they say caused a deadly hit and run accident in Johnston County last month. The suspect was captured during a felony traffic stop on Interstate 95 near Dunn, around 3:41pm today (Saturday).

Robert Brad Williams, 49, of Hickory, NC was arrested without incident during the vehicle stop conducted by multiple state troopers from Johnston and Harnett counties. Williams was a passenger in a Mercedes pulled over near the 71 mile marker. The Highway Patrol said Williams was identified as a passenger in the Mercedes before the traffic stop was initiated.

Photo by Thomas Honeycutt

On December 15 around 3:04am, 24 year-old Korney Summer Atkins of Goldsboro was killed when a wrong-way BMW, reportedly driven by Robert Brad Williams, slammed head-on into a Jeep SUV on the US 70 Clayton Bypass. Atkins was a passenger in the Jeep.

Photo by Thomas Honeycutt

The driver of the Jeep, Sydney Ann Skelding, age 26, and two additional occupants, Michael Atkins, age 25, and a 4 year-old juvenile, all from Goldsboro were seriously injured.

Authorities said Williams was driving the BMW westbound in the eastbound lanes of US 70 when the fatal collision occurred. The BMW burst into flames after impact. Williams fled on foot.

The Highway Patrol says Robert Brad Williams was operating this BMW when it slammed head-on into a Jeep SUV on US 70 Clayton Bypass in Johnston County on December 15, 2024, killing one person and seriously injuring three others. Photo by John Payne

The Highway Patrol confirmed numerous items were seized as evidence during Saturday’s traffic stop including cash, several cell phones, and a schedule 3 controlled substance. The driver of the Mercedes, a Smithfield man, was cooperative with the investigation and released at the scene.

Robert Brad Williams is in the Johnston County Detention Center facing numerous charges. He is being held without bond.

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