A Gaston woman faces several charges following a crash this morning in which her passenger died.

Sergeant Preston Dennis of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the crash occurred around 2 a.m. on Highway 305 near the Hertford County line in the Rich Square area. The passenger, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was identified as 42-year-old Dexter Jermaine Jenkins of Ahoskie.

Dennis said Trooper J. Chaborro charged Jalissa Latifah Eley, 31, with driving left of center, driving while license revoked, misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, and an open container violation. Dennis noted that while Eley did not test positive for alcohol at the scene, the open container charge was filed because she owned the vehicle in which it was found.

According to the preliminary investigation, Eley crossed the center line of the highway to avoid an animal. She then entered a ditch and the vehicle struck a Department of Transportation road sign.