17-year-old boy faces alcohol-related charge in incident that killed Pittsylvania County cheerleader

Incident happened as four teens returned from Hyco Lake on May 20

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – A 17-year-old boy has been charged after an accident resulted in the death of a Pittsylvania County high school senior.

Brandi Beckelheimer, 18, was in an SUV with four other teenagers driving home from Hyco Lake in North Carolina on Sunday, May 20, around 8:30 p.m. when police said she was hanging out of the front passenger window and fell out onto the pavement. 

The four teens in the SUV were either 17 or 18 years old, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The 17-year-old driver, who 10 News is choosing not to identify, had a blood-alcohol content of .06, according to Highway Patrol.

He has been charged with driving while intoxicated on a provisional licensee.

Authorities do not believe all four teens in the SUV had been drinking, but they did draw blood from  Beckelheimer to see if she had consumed alcohol.

Because authorities determined the alcohol in question was bought in Virginia, jurisdiction in the case now lies with Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control.