Castle Hayne man accused of reaching 115 mph during New Hanover County pursuit
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Castle Hayne man is facing multiple charges after the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office says he fled a driver’s license checkpoint and led deputies on a pursuit that reached speeds of 115 mph.
The sheriff’s office says the incident happened Oct. 7 at a checkpoint being conducted by its SAFE Unit in a residential neighborhood.
Deputies say a man driving a black BMW briefly stopped at the checkpoint, but accelerated away after being asked for his driver’s license and turned onto Brittany Drive.
According to the sheriff’s office, a deputy standing in the roadway gave commands for the driver to stop and had to move out of the vehicle’s path to avoid being struck.
Deputies later located the BMW and attempted another traffic stop, but the driver again fled.
Court records identify the driver as Clayton Blue Albritton of Castle Hayne.
The records say Albritton reached 115 mph in a 45 mph zone during the pursuit. A second speeding charge accuses him of driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.
The pursuit ended after deputies used a sheriff’s office vehicle to disable the BMW. Albritton was then taken into custody.
The sheriff’s office says Albritton was wanted in Florida for a probation violation. Court records say a magistrate found he was wanted there for absconding from probation.
Albritton faces charges including felony speeding to elude, assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, reckless driving, aggressive driving, speeding, fictitious or altered registration, no liability insurance and traffic violations. He also faces additional charges in a related case, including resisting a public officer and failing to obey a traffic officer.
Court records show a magistrate ordered Albritton held for a bond hearing before a judge, citing public safety and flight-risk concerns.
His first appearance was scheduled for Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. in New Hanover County District Court.
No injuries were reported.
The charges are allegations, and Albritton is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
