ROCKINGHAM — Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office have charged a man and woman in connection with the death of their 19-month-old child last month.
According to the RCSO, the child was found unresponsive in its crib on Sept. 24 “and was unable to be revived.”
No other details were given.
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, investigators charged the mother, 28-year-old Hali O’Neil Johnson with one count each of voluntary manslaughter and felony child abuse inflicting serious injury, as well two counts of misdemeanor child abuse.
She was booked into the Richmond County Jail on a $250,000 secured bond.
Investigators also charged 29-year-old Howard Lee Driggers Jr. with two counts of accessory after the fact. He is being held on a $100,000 secured bond.
Jail records show an Oct. 20 court date for Driggers, but no date for Johnson.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Online court records show neither have any pending charges in the state.
Driggers was convicted in 2019 of driving while impaired in Moore County, according to records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction.
Johnson has no prior convictions in the state.
