Former Winston-Salem police officer acquitted of DWI
A Winston-Salem police officer faced trial earlier this week on allegations of DWI and speeding. The allegations arose from an incident that occurred on May 9. The 23-year veteran of the police force took his DWI defense to trial. On Wednesday the verdict came in. The officer was acquitted of DWI, but found guilty of speeding.
A trooper with the North Carolina Patrol had pulled over an SUV around 8:30 a.m. on U.S. 64 in Randolph County. The trooper claimed the driver was traveling 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. Upon contact, the trooper claimed the driver appeared to have red eyes and a strong odor of alcohol. The driver reportedly admitted having consumed alcohol the night before.
The driver reportedly submitted to a chemical test to determine alcohol content. Prosecutors alleged the driver measured .08, right at the legal limit in North Carolina. Wednesday, the driver was acquitted of DWI and found guilty of speeding. The judge imposed a fine of , with 3 in court costs related to the speeding conviction.
A separate Winston-Salem police officer was charged with DWI after an incident on March 24. In that case the judge dismissed the DWI charges against the officer. The judge found that the arresting officer had not seen the accused driving the vehicle and the arresting officer was not able to remember whether the car was running at the time of the investigation.
Both police officers were suspended without pay in September due to the DWI charges. The suspensions were to run through October 29, 2010. The 23-year veteran retired from duty. The second officer remains with the Winston-Salem police force.
Source: Winston Salem Journal, “Police officer convicted of speeding in Randolph County,” Michael Hewlett 15 Apr 2011
Tags: acquitted, former, Officer, Police, WinstonSalem