SILER CITY — The driver whose car slammed into Johnson’s Drive-In on Oct. 8, killing a Pittsboro pastor and injuring three others, made his first court appearance Wednesday but didn’t enter a plea.
Instead, the case of John Salvatore Graviano, 60, of Siler City, was continued to Jan. 26. He is being represented by Ben Atwater of Atwater Law Firm in Siler City.
On the Friday afternoon of the crash, Graviano was traveling west on East Eleventh — U.S. Hwy. 64 — and crossed the center line and collided with a vehicle making a left turn onto East Raleigh Street from East Eleventh. After hitting that vehicle, Graviano veered into incoming traffic near Johnson’s, where his car then entered Johnson’s parking lot and struck four restaurant patrons who were getting lunch at the well-known hamburger establishment.
One of those hit, 64-year-old Mark McKinney, a Pittsboro resident and the pastor of a Morrisville church, died at the scene. Injured were Diannne Perkins, 77, of Burlington, and Shannon Clapp, 39, and Colin Hsieh, 18, both of Siler City.
Graviano was charged the day after the crash with misdemeanor death by vehicle, as well as two additional charges of failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and driving left of center. He was arrested and placed on a secured bond of $1,000 at the Chatham County Detention Center and released on bail on Oct. 8.
Siler City Police Chief Mike Wagner told the News + Record that the case is still under investigation.
Reporter Taylor Heeden can be reached at theeden@chathamnr.com.