Ryan Ricky Houston
The crash happened around 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2. North Carolina Highway Patrol says Houston was behind the wheel of a stolen 2019 Jaguar that crashed head-on into a Ford truck along I-26 West near exit 11.
By Saturday morning, authorities identified one of the victims as former Marshall Police Chief Mike Boone, who had just recently retired from the department after more than 30 years of service.
Houston had been on the run since Thursday after a series of incidents in McDowell County. North Carolina Highway Patrol said a trooper clocked a vehicle speeding on I-40 eastbound near Old Fort. Due to the high speed, the vehicle gained considerable distance on the trooper, who decided not to chase. The trooper, who continued traveling east, found the vehicle involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer near Parker Padgett Road. The driver, now identified as Houston, fled. Troopers confirmed there was a passenger in the vehicle but didn’t confirm information about their condition.
Shortly before midnight Thursday, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office said Houston became the suspect of a home invasion in which he assaulted the homeowner and stole a firearm and vehicle. The stolen vehicle was found a short time later on I-40 near Exit 90.
Houston was out on bond for attempted first-degree murder and assault on law enforcement charges stemming from a shooting at the Buncombe County magistrate’s office in 2023.
Story: WLOS TV-Asheville