Deputy accused of being drunk in patrol car while on off-duty assignment, NC cops say
A North Carolina deputy accused of driving drunk in a patrol car has been fired and faces a DWI charge, authorities said.
Martin County Deputy Hillard Wilson was spotted by another deputy in the parking lot of a Duck-Thru in Hamilton around 9:41 p.m. on March 18, Sheriff Tim Manning said in a statement.
Wilson was in a marked patrol vehicle and working an off-duty assignment at the time he was spotted, according to Manning.
“The responding deputy suspected that Wilson was impaired by alcohol. The North Carolina Highway Patrol was contacted and the criminal DWI investigation was turned over to the Trooper,” Manning said.
After the sheriff’s office was alerted of the incident, Wilson was terminated immediately, according to Manning.
Wilson faces a charge of driving while intoxicated from the North Carolina Highway Patrol and has a civil revocation of his driver’s license, according to WITN.
The former deputy was with the sheriff’s office for a little over four years and had no other disciplinary actions, WITN reported. He was released on a written promise to appear in court.
“As law enforcement, we are to set a good example to the community which we serve and this type of conduct will not be tolerated in my office,” Manning said in the statement.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Deputy accused of being drunk in patrol car while on off-duty assignment, NC cops say."
