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A police officer has been charged with contempt and may spend as many as 30 days in jail after he was convicted of lying during a driving-while-impaired trial.
Police confirmed Tuesday that Officer Barry Grimes was found guilty of indirect criminal contempt of court by District Court Judge Sean Smith.
Grimes, who has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal department investigation, has worked for the department since 2008 and is assigned to the Steele Creek Division. His salary was $41,503 a year, according to city records.
Grimes, who is out of jail as he appeals the ruling, couldn't be reached for comment.
According to WSOC-TV, Judge Smith ruled that Grimes had lied in court last month when he said a woman he arrested on a DWI charge in October had failed several field sobriety tests.
Video from Grimes' patrol car showed that the woman had never performed those tests, according to the report.
It's the second allegation of an officer lying in his official capacity in less than a week.
A police department investigation found Officer Rodd Pickler had been untruthful, improperly used evidence and wrongfully intervened in the investigation of another officer's crash, according to court documents filed last week. He was suspended last summer and terminated by a civilian review board last year.
Pickler is appealing the board's ruling to Superior Court.
