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Milligan Cycling Crash Suspect Back in Custody After Bond Violation

The man accused of causing the crash that killed two Milligan University cyclists is once again behind bars — this time on a $3 million bond — after authorities in North Carolina arrested him for violating the terms of his release.

Milligan Cycling Crash Suspect Back in Custody After Bond Violation

John Benfield, 69, of Newland, North Carolina, was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Avery County Jail on an out-of-state fugitive warrant. Records show the warrant was issued in Carter County the day before, alongside a formal allegation that Benfield breached his bond conditions.

According to the violation report, Benfield failed a random drug and alcohol screening earlier in the week. The supervising officer wrote that Benfield admitted to daily THC use, including the day before the fatal crash on Highway 19E, and acknowledged drinking alcohol as recently as Saturday — both clear violations of the strict no-substance terms of his release.

Benfield had previously posted a $300,000 bond after appearing in Carter County court last Thursday. His supervision agreement explicitly barred him from consuming alcohol or illegal drugs while awaiting trial.

The 69-year-old faces two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and five counts of reckless aggravated assault in Tennessee. Investigators say he was driving a 2004 Subaru Baja Sport when he struck members of the Milligan University cycling team during a training ride on U.S. Highway 19E.

Two young athletes killed and seven injued in what authorities are calling a reckless vehicular homicide.

University President Stephen Waers delivered the devastating news, Haylan Engdahl, 18, of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, and Brayden Rogers, of Huntsville, Alabama, were killed in the collision — two promising sophomores whose futures were violently cut short on a rural Tennessee road.
 
The aftermath was chaos and carnage. Cyclists lay scattered across the asphalt. At least one rider was airlifted from the scene. Ballad Health confirmed seven victims were rushed to Johnson City Medical Center, where doctors fought to stabilise the critically injured.
 
By Wednesday evening, four students clung to life in critical condition, two remained hospitalised, and one had been discharged. Trauma director Dr. Bracken Burns described the situation as dire.
 
This was not a casual group ride. Finney emphasised the team’s elite status, “It’s not a bunch of club guys getting together to ride. They know what they’re doing. They rode in a peloton.”
 
Earlier this year, Milligan’s men’s cycling team had celebrated a national championship title — a triumph now overshadowed by grief.

Two Milligan University Cyclists Killed in a Horror Homicide That Shattered a Team

Milligan University confirmed that sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed in the collision. Six other cyclists were hospitalized with injuries; as of Sunday, three remain in stable condition at Johnson City Medical Center, according to Ballad Health.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday that it is working with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Benfield does not yet have a scheduled court appearance in North Carolina, but he is expected to return to Carter County for a preliminary hearing on August 31.