Arrest warrant pending in Gaston County for Mecklenburg commissioner
An arrest warrant was issued a year ago in Gaston County for an at-large Mecklenburg County commissioner, and uploaded to public online court records on Tuesday afternoon.
The warrant, issued for Yvette Townsend-Ingram on Feb. 5, 2025, was for failure to comply with a community service order that stemmed from a DWI charge in 2024.
Townsend-Ingram could not be immediately reached by phone Tuesday afternoon. She was elected in 2024, unseating longtime commissioner Pat Cotham.
The commissioner previously told The Charlotte Observer she was charged with a DWI when she left her car on after she parked in Belmont, drank from a bottle of wine, and fell asleep with the air conditioning running. She said she “was not in a good mental state” at the time because she was struggling with the death of her brother and being laid off from work.
In August 2024, an arrest warrant was issued in Gaston County after Townsend-Ingram failed to appear in court for the pending DWI charge. She said her lawyer, Nicholas Street, was supposed to inform the court she was sick with COVID-19.
Street’s office said the attorney had no comment Tuesday on the 2025 warrant.
Townsend-Ingram is running for re-election this year, going up against nine other candidates in the March Democratic primary.
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 4:34 PM.
