John Benfield, the 69-year-old North Carolina man charged in the crash that killed two members of the Milligan University cycling team on Wednesday 19 August 2026, was taken back into custody on Wednesday 26 August after violating the terms of his bail, according to the Avery County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
Benfield, of Newland, North Carolina, was booked into Avery County Jail on an out-of-state fugitive charge tied to a bond-violation warrant filed in Carter County, Tennessee, on Tuesday 25 August. He is now being held on a $3 million bond, a sharp increase from the $300,000 bond he posted on Thursday 20 August, the day after the crash.
According to court documents obtained by the Johnson City Press, Benfield failed a random drug screening on Monday 24 August, testing positive for both alcohol and THC. His supervising officer wrote that Benfield admitted to daily THC use, saying he last used the drug on Tuesday 18 August — the day before the crash — and had last consumed alcohol on Saturday 22 August. His release conditions barred him from driving and from using drugs or alcohol.
As previously reported by Gran Fondo Daily News, Benfield was allegedly driving a 2004 Subaru Baja Sport when it struck 11 Milligan University cyclists on US Highway 19E on Wednesday 19 August, killing sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers and injuring seven teammates. He faces two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and five counts of reckless aggravated assault by vehicle. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash alongside the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Benfield’s preliminary hearing in Carter County is set for Monday 31 August; no North Carolina court date has been scheduled.
Photo Credit: WJHL
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