A former UNCW student, who was previously cleared of a DWI charge for a fatal crash on I-40 near Wallace, has now filed a lawsuit against multiple members of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP), NCSHP, and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The lawsuit alleges mishandling of the case.
Raylee Grieco has filed a lawsuit claiming that she has experienced significant emotional distress, embarrassment, damage to her moral character, loss of freedom, and harm to her reputation as a result of NCSHP’s defamatory statements, slander, malicious prosecution, and other wrongful actions.
According to the lawsuit filed by Grieco, on February 18, 2024, she was nearing the intersection of I-40 and NC Highway 41 near Wallace when she noticed a car halted in the middle of the road ahead of her.
According to the lawsuit, Grieco stated that the car was stopped right behind a pickup truck and a trailer, both owned by Mr. Velasquez. All three vehicles were situated in the middle of the roadway.
Grieco said that she tried to veer to the left but was unable to prevent the collision. Her vehicle made contact with the first car, which then hit the trailer, resulting in it jackknifing.
According to Grieco, Mildo Velasquez lost his life in the collision while trying to reconnect the trailer to his pickup truck.
NCSHP sent a press release to WECT stating that Velasquez was standing next to his truck when Grieco collided with the family’s car.
According to the press release, Velasquez was standing beside the truck and trailer when the car crashed into it, resulting in his death.
Trooper Jamie Duff conducted a roadside portable breath test (PBT) on Grieco upon arriving at the scene, as stated in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the PBT conducted on Raylee showed a blood alcohol content of 0.00.
Grieco underwent examination by a nurse at ECU Health Duplin County Hospital. According to the lawsuit, the nurse documented Grieco’s condition as being “alert, with soft but clear speech, good eye contact, and speech not pressured.”
The nurse made the decision not to conduct blood work to check for substances that may impair Grieco. Instead, she administered NORCO, a powerful pain medication.
Trooper Duff reached the hospital, where he was allegedly present solely to accuse Grieco of failing to reduce speed, as per the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, a nurse or nurse assistant informed Defendant Duff that Raylee was exhibiting unusual behavior. It is important to note that this individual was not Raylee’s primary physician or nurse practitioner. The observations made by this nurse or nurse assistant occurred after Raylee had already been given the NORCO narcotic pain medication.
According to the lawsuit, Trooper Duff did not have sufficient grounds to suspect that Grieco was impaired. However, the comments made by Trooper Duff prompted him to request the assistance of an NCSHP Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) for the case.
NCSHP Trooper Devin Rich, the designated DRE expert, arrived at the hospital along with Grieco’s parents. His purpose was to conduct DRE tests on Grieco. According to the lawsuit, he was informed that Grieco had been given NORCO.
According to the lawsuit, Defendant Rich assured Raylee’s mother, Rochelle Grieco, that the hydrocodone pain medication would not affect his DRE tests. Specifically, Rich claimed that the narcotic would not have any impact on Raylee’s eyes during the HGN eye test.
The lawsuit alleges that Grieco had a concussion at the time, which may have affected the testing. Grieco and her mother informed Trooper Rich about this, but the lawsuit asserts that he disregarded their concerns.
According to the lawsuit, Defendant Rich falsely informed Raylee and her mother that her CT scan did not indicate a concussion, implying that she did not have one. However, Grieco asserts that this statement was untrue. The CT scan was not definitive in ruling out a concussion for Raylee. Grieco further alleges that Defendant Rich was aware of the falsehood in his statement. By misleading Raylee and her mother with the claim that the CT scan was conclusive for diagnosing a concussion, Defendant Rich acted recklessly and induced Raylee to undergo the DRE field tests under false pretenses.
Trooper Rich took Grieco into custody and proceeded to perform a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluation.
According to the lawsuit, Defendant Rich conducted several tests on Raylee. These included having her walk in a straight line, stand straight with her head back and eyes closed, touch her nose with her eyes closed, and track a pencil or pen with her eyes as it was moved by Defendant Rich.
According to the lawsuit, Grieco alleges that her performance was adversely affected by the following factors:
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- strong narcotic pain medication
- an injury to her left leg that was causing her to limp
- a broken nose
- her traumatic state following the collision
- a concussion and post-concussion symptoms
According to the lawsuit, the defendant, Rich, was well aware of how these factors affected Raylee’s performance.
According to the lawsuit, Trooper Rich concluded that Grieco was under the influence of marijuana after conducting the tests.
The lawsuit claims that Defendant Rich had no probable cause and lacked a good faith basis to form his opinion or make the determination, considering the circumstances surrounding the testing.
In July, the results of the blood sample taken from Grieco by Trooper Rich were finally revealed.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendant, Rich, falsely claimed to nurses and other hospital staff at Duplin County Hospital that his subjective field tests were conclusive in determining that Raylee was under the influence of THC, or marijuana. These statements were deemed defamatory and false, and were made with actual malice.
Grieco’s bloodwork results in July 2024 confirmed that there were no impairing substances in her system at the time of the crash.
In January 2025, the NC District Attorney’s office released a statement confirming that crime lab results indicated no presence of impairing substances in Grieco’s system.
The office stated that the driving while impaired charge was dismissed because the State did not have enough evidence or probable cause based on the results obtained.
The charges of DWI and Underage DWI were dropped, and instead, Grieco took responsibility for failing to reduce speed on October 2, 2024. As a result, she was required to cover the court expenses.
Grieco has been experiencing panic attacks, anxiety, and sleeplessness since being accused of DWI. These symptoms are attributed to the alleged libel, slander, malicious prosecution, and other wrongful actions of the defendants, as stated in the lawsuit.
Jim Johnson, a lawyer representing Grieco, stated that the ongoing impact of these mistakes made by NCSHP on her is a matter of concern.
“We believe that it is important for Raylee to receive compensation for the hardships she has endured. Unless you have experienced it firsthand, it is difficult to truly comprehend the impact that such circumstances can have on an individual. Our primary goal, however, is to ensure that no one else has to go through a similar ordeal,” Johnson expressed passionately.
According to the lawsuit, NCSHP’s actions had severe consequences for Grieco. It is claimed that as a result, she developed post-traumatic stress disorder, lost friendships, lost one year of her NCAA eligibility, and experienced disruptions to her education.
Grieco’s attorneys have requested a jury trial and are seeking monetary compensation from the defendants to cover a range of damages. These damages include presumed damages, mental anguish, harm to reputation and moral character, humiliation, embarrassment, severe emotional distress, medical expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of educational opportunities, loss of liberty interests, loss of earnings and/or earning capacity, as well as other actual out-of-pocket expenses.