Daily News Staff

 

Southside High School was reeling with the death of one of its own Monday.

Sophomore Stone William Robert Prechtl died Sunday night after running off the road on N.C. Highway 33 at the Pitt-Beaufort county line. It’s estimated that Prechtl was driving close to 100 mph at the time of the crash and was not wearing a seatbelt, according to law enforcement officials. The accident happened at approximately 8:40 p.m., and both lanes of the highway were closed for several hours as first responders dealt with the wreckage.

Prechtl, 16, was a resident of Carrow Road in Chocowinity.

Southside High School has responded by offering a voluntary prayer vigil for its student body at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday morning. The vigil will be held at the Hawk’s Nest,

the Southside High School football stadium, according to school administrators. Any students who want to attend the before-school prayer vigil will be permitted to attend. Currently, Nicole Howard, director of student services at Beaufort County Schools, is leading a team of grief counselors, offering counseling to students who need help coping with Prechtl’s accident and demise.