Chairman of an NC county board apologizes after his arrest on DWI chargers
The chairman of a North Carolina county commission apologized for his actions that led to his arrest on suspicion of driving while impaired on Wednesday night.
Carrol Dean Mitchem, Republican chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, is charged with DWI, according to a county statement Thursday.
Mitchem was taken into custody around 9:42 p.m. in the 4400 block of N.C. 27 and Shoal Road in Lincolnton, according to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office report.
Mitchem, 65, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14, according to WBTV, which cited court documents. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08.
“I want to apologize for my actions that led up to the events of June 8th,” Mitchem said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “I will make no attempt at excuses for my actions and I take responsibility for the decisions that were made by myself on that day. I am thankful that my actions did not harm others. I can only acknowledge my actions and accept full responsibility for those actions.”
His bond was set at $1,500, and he has a Sept. 2 trial date, according to the sheriff’s report.
“I will continue to serve the people of Lincoln County as I have always done, with a transparent and honest approach,” Mitchem said.
In May 2020, Mitchem was issued a citation for violating N.C. Executive Order 138, which banned on-site food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. He reopened his restaurant, Mitchem’s Kitchen in the western N.C. town of Vale, in violation of Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home orders, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Mitchem walked out of a county commissioners meeting while a Muslim prayer was recited in 2015. His action prompted the board to scrap a recently adopted policy of allowing members of any faith to give the invocation, the Lincoln Times-News reported at the time. The meetings now open with a moment of silence.
In interviews in the weeks prior, Mitchem said only Christian prayers would be welcome at his meetings.
”I ain’t gonna have no new religion or pray to Allah or nothing like that,” Mitchem told WBTV, saying that anyone opposed to Christian prayer can “wait until we’re done praying.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 3:22 PM.
