Police name driver of car that flew into store

Sept. 23--Lenoir police released the name of man whose car went airborne and bounced into a convenience store on Tuesday, but the investigation into the wreck was not complete so charges had not been filed.

Dalton Lee Storie, 20, of Packs Hill Road in Lenoir was driving a Toyota Camry east on Main Street approaching Blowing Rock Boulevard about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday when he drove through the intersection without slowing and hit the bank on the opposite side of the road, which made his car bounce into the air toward the Holiday To Go. It flew between two gas pumps, hit a van, and back end of the Camry bounced up and hit the sign at the top of the convenience store before dropping into the store's brick wall.

Storie told investigators that he was distracted by a bee, police said on Tuesday.

Storie escaped serious injury. The van's driver, Debra Ann Connelly, 47, of Morehead Street in Morganton, was taken to Caldwell Memorial Hospital with what appeared to be an arm injury. A spokeswoman for Caldwell Memorial Hospital declined to comment Thursday on Connelly's condition.

Police are awaiting blood test results on Storie before filing any charges, Chief Scott Brown said Thursday.

The owner of the Camry, Kenneth Travis Shomaker, the owner of the car, is expected to be charged as well because the Camry had no insurance and a revoked license plate.

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