Deputy fired after he crashed his patrol car, arrested on DWI charge, NC sheriff says
An off-duty Catawba County sheriff’s deputy was fired after he crashed his patrol car and was charged with driving while impaired, Sheriff Don Brown posted on Facebook on Friday.
The deputy wrecked on Radio Station Road “after picking up his assigned vehicle from a maintenance appointment,” according to the sheriff’s post. The road is in the Newton area, about 45 miles northwest of Charlotte.
Brown didn’t name the deputy in his public post and hasn’t explained why.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol investigated the single-car crash and filed the DWI charge, according to the sheriff’s office post.
That’s when the deputy “was immediately placed on administrative leave and has since been terminated,” according to the post.
In the Facebook post, Brown said: “This conduct has not and will not be tolerated in my administration. We have taken swift action in this matter. My office will continue to operate with the highest level of integrity and accountability to our citizens.”
The Facebook post also didn’t say when the crash occurred.
Capt. Aaron Turk, public information officer for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, posted the news release about the incident.
Turk and State Highway Patrol Master Trooper Jeffrey Swagger didn’t immediately reply to emails by The Charlotte Observer on Saturday requesting comment.