Off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer charged with DWI in Jacksonville on July 4
An off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer was arrested on the Fourth of July and charged with Driving While Impaired and other offenses near Jacksonville, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office says.
Col. Chris Thomas, chief deputy with the sheriff’s office, told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday that Derric Entwistle was arrested Monday just before midnight and charged with DWI, speeding and reckless driving to endanger. He was jailed on a secured $500 bond and later released.
According to sheriff’s office, Entwistle’s blood-alcohol level was .14.
Jacksonville is about 240 miles east of Charlotte.
CMPD said in a statement Wednesday that Entwistle, 31, of Mount Holly, has been placed on administrative duty pending the findings of the department’s internal affairs investigation.
CMPD did not respond to emailed questions from the Observer seeking more information about Entwistle and the incident.
“It is always disheartening when I learn that one of our officers has violated the very laws that we are sworn to uphold. However, accountability is a priority for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and our officers are expected to maintain this standard at all times,” police Chief Johnny Jennings said in his department’s statement about Entwistle.
That’s a virtually identical quote attributed to Jennings following a similar incident in the spring.
In March, off-duty CMPD officer Crystal Washington was charged with DWI after she lost control of her car and struck a sign on Robinson Church Road.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 4:05 PM.
