Holden Beach officer charged with driving patrol car impaired

First off, yes it is common for law enforcement to have what is called a take home car. Not all agency do this and some only will if you live inside the city or county limits. I dont know where you are in NC but most do this. As for why he had his patrol car there is no way of knowing. Just because he was on suspension does not mean they take away his keys to the station or his vehicle; but most do not allow you to take the vehicle home once your on suspension unless your on suspension for something that the Chief deem that you can still have the vehicle. Shallotte is near Holden Beach so to see a Holden beach police car in Shallotte is not all that uncommon. Police officers do not get to drive there patrol cars around town as they please and at there whim. They can however on there way home stop by the store and get something before going home. Before you start with he should be terminated, the report states only that he appeared intoxicated, it did not state that he was drunk or had been drinking. Nor did they stated that they could smell the alcohol on his person or in the vehicle. I say all that with people have been arrested for DWI in NC and come to find out they had a diabetic attack and someone that is having such an attack will very much so speak, act, drive, walk as if they had been drinking all night long. Also in most cases such as this they will state in the report what there BAC. was or simply state that the person that was being charged refused to submit to the breath test. In this case they did not, they did not state one way or another. So that leave us with "did they take his blood?" again this is always stated in the report if they did so. Once again they reported nothing along those lines. So from the story and the arrest report what does all of this leave us with. A Police LT. was found leaving a parking lot at a unsafe and fast speed; and he appeared to be intoxicated.... At this point we are left in the dark on the facts that would allow you to make a statement like you did;"I find this deplorable. This guy's employment needs to be terminated". How can you as far as you know a doctor could have given him some medication that he had a reaction to and caused this hole unfortunate event to unfold. I do not know if he had been drinking the day away before this happened, nor can I sit here and tell you his is guilty. What I can tell you is there is no where enough information in report or the arrest report to make an educated decision on this matter at hand. Keep your opinions to your selfs until you have all the facts in hand. If you can not I hope you never sit on a jury cause before you could hear the case and you heard the charges you would be finding the person guilty. My soap box rant for the day is done.