Former Wilmington police officer enters Alford plea after hitting girlfriend with truck
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Several charges were dropped as part of a plea deal in the case of a former Wilmington police officer charged in a 2023 pedestrian crash near Costco.
On February 12, Darryl Warren, 42, entered an Alford plea to one count of serious injury by vehicle, a Class C felony. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges it is in their best interest to plead guilty and agrees to be treated as guilty.
According to court documents, a judge ordered Warren to serve a minimum of 13 months and a maximum of 25 months in prison. However, the sentence was suspended and he will serve 30 days in the custody of the New Hanover County Sheriff beginning Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. He will then be under 12 months of supervised probation.
As part of the plea arrangement, the state dismissed additional charges tied to the case, including assault on a female, driving while impaired, carrying a concealed weapon and reckless driving.
The charges stem from a crash just before 12:30 p.m. on July 25, 2023, near Costco on Gingerwood Drive.
According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Warren made a U-turn off Gingerwood Drive, ran onto the right side of the road and struck a woman and a parked vehicle.
The woman, who was later identified as his girlfriend, had been a passenger in his truck before getting out to walk. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
911 calls released after the crash captured a caller describing what they witnessed.
“Hi, I’m here near Costco, um someone just turned, made a U-turn here in front of the hotel here and hit somebody, um walking,” the caller told dispatch.
When asked if a pedestrian had been hit, the caller responded, “Yes, it almost looked it was on purpose. He was right in front of me and turned around really fast and came and just flew onto the um, like where the mulch is and just hit her.”
On the day of the crash, Warren registered a 0.10 blood alcohol concentration after submitting to a breath analysis at the New Hanover County Detention Center.
Warren was placed on administrative leave with the Wilmington Police Department and was later fired.
Warren is also ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim. Court records indicate certain personal property, including a weapon, will be returned to the Wilmington Police Department, while other items will be returned or turned over to law enforcement agencies for disposition.
