Memorial for fallen firefighter removed from Brunswick County roadside
ASH, BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY)–A memorial honoring a fallen Whiteville firefighter has disappeared from the side of a Brunswick County Road — and now, a man connected to the crash that killed him is facing criminal charges.
For nearly six years, a white cross stood at the intersection of Highway 130 and Ludlum Road in Ash, marking the spot where Michael Stanley died in a 2020 motorcycle crash. Stanley, a firefighter with the Whiteville Fire Department, was killed after investigators said his motorcycle was struck by a driver identified as Danny James Smith.
“It takes an absolutely despicable human being to do what was done here,” said David Ballangee, who helped maintain the memorial for years.
The cross, which sat on private property near the intersection, disappeared last week. Only the dug-up base remained.
Ballangee believes Smith is responsible for removing it.
“They should be ashamed of themselves,” Ballangee said. “They claim it caused him trauma to drive by every day and see that cross. Well, that man’s children have to wake up every day in a world where they no longer get to see their father.”
Ballangee said he never personally witnessed Smith remove the memorial. However, a person associated with the Smith family, who asked not to be identified, told WWAY they saw Smith driving away with the cross on a green John Deere Gator.
When WWAY approached Smith’s home near the memorial site, a relative declined to comment on the allegations.
Court documents now show Smith has been summoned to court on a misdemeanor larceny charge accusing him of taking personal property.
For Stanley’s family, the incident reopened painful wounds just after the sixth anniversary of his death.
“It puts me back in the exact same place I was every year on the anniversary,” said Hannah Phillips, Stanley’s daughter. “It’s like learning how to breathe, how to live, how to make it to the next day.”
Despite the grief, Stanley’s family says the community response has been overwhelming. Members of the Whiteville Fire Department quickly replaced the stolen cross, and plans are already underway to rebuild and redecorate the memorial. A ceremony honoring Stanley’s life is also being planned.
“My dad truly was an amazing person, and he would do anything for anybody,” said Amber Stanley, another of Stanley’s daughters. “He truly loved his career. If somebody needed his last dollar, he would take it out of his pocket without question.”
Smith’s court date is set to be on June 29th at the Brunswick County Courthouse.
