Gastonia man faces charges in woman's death

Kevin Ellis, The Gaston Gazette
·3 min read
Whitney Calhoun with her brother, Jordan Calhoun, pose for a photograph. Whitney Calhoun died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after being struck by a suspected impaired driver in Gastonia.
Whitney Calhoun with her brother, Jordan Calhoun, pose for a photograph. Whitney Calhoun died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after being struck by a suspected impaired driver in Gastonia.

A 33-year-old mother of a special needs daughter died Wednesday, four days after being struck by a truck by a suspected impaired driver.

Ray Charles Weber, 53, of 1713 Davis Park Road, Gastonia, faces a charge of death by motor vehicle in the incident that began Saturday, Aug. 13. He was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $500,000 bond at 8:08 p.m. Wednesday, about five hours after Whitney Calhoun's death at a Charlotte hospital.

"A lot of people who loved her are feeling empty right now," her younger brother, Jordan Calhoun, said Thursday.

Whitney Calhoun, who grew up in the Crowders Mountain area of Gaston County, was a 2007 graduate of Hunter Huss High School. She had previously worked as a nurse. She had a "contagious smile and a loving heart," said her brother.

Gastonia Police investigators are still trying to unravel what brought Whitney Calhoun to the home on Davis Park Road where Weber lived.

Officers were called to the scene around 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, about a reported assault, police spokesman Rick Goodale said Thursday.

When officers arrived they found Calhoun sitting in the driveway, Goodale said. They questioned her, but she told them she had not been assaulted.

Jordan Calhoun and his sister, Whitney Calhoun, spend a moment with his newborn child in this undated family photograph. Whitney Calhoun, 33, of Gastonia, died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, four days after being struck by a suspected impaired driver.
Jordan Calhoun and his sister, Whitney Calhoun, spend a moment with his newborn child in this undated family photograph. Whitney Calhoun, 33, of Gastonia, died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, four days after being struck by a suspected impaired driver.

Officers allowed her to remain in the driveway while they talked to others inside the house.

Officers then saw a truck reportedly being driven by Weber pull into the driveway. When it appeared Weber did not see Calhoun sitting in the driveway, officers frantically waved their hands to try and get his attention.

But Weber ran into the woman, Goodale said.

"He lived at the house," Goodale said of Weber. "That's why he was pulling into the driveway."

Police do not know why Calhoun was at the property, but the people at the home told police before the incident that they wanted her removed from the property, Goodale said.

Police said they could not find anyone who had been assaulted at the property.

Calhoun's brother said he believes his sister may have been seeing someone at the house and suspects that his sister and Weber were at least acquaintances.

Weber originally faced only driving while impaired and reckless driving charges in the Saturday, Aug. 13, incident, and was released from Gaston County Jail that night on an unsecured bond.

When Calhoun died Wednesday, police added the charges of death by motor vehicle and operating a vehicle without a license.

"He took a loved one from me," Jordan Calhoun said. "It's hard for me to wrap my mind around how anyone could do that to someone.

"I'm going to trust in God that the court system is going to hold him accountable," he added.

His 4-year-old niece, his sister's daughter, has autism, Jordan Calhoun said, and the condition prevents her from grasping the loss of her mother.

"She doesn't even understand," he said. "There's no rationalization, no development for understanding."

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at kellis@gastongazette.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia man faces charges in woman's death