ASH, BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY)–A memorial honoring a fallen Whiteville firefighter has disappeared from the side of a Brunswick County Road — and now, a man connected to the crash that killed him is facing criminal charges.
For nearly six years, a white cross stood at the intersection of Highway 130 and Ludlum Road in Ash, marking the spot where Michael Stanley died in a 2020 motorcycle crash. Stanley, a firefighter with the Whiteville Fire Department, was killed after investigators said his motorcycle was struck by a driver identified as Danny James Smith.
“It takes an absolutely despicable human being to do what was done here,” said David Ballangee, who helped maintain the memorial for years…