Navassa VFD assistant chief charged after traffic stop

NAVASSA, NC (WWAY) — The assistant fire chief at the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department was caught driving with a revoked license in a vehicle he should not have been driving, according to the Navassa Police Department.

On Saturday, a Navassa police officer pulled over Derrick Ballard, 46, around 10:00 p.m. on Old Mill Road.

Police say Ballard had a paper license that requires him to only drive a 2004 GMC with an ignition interlock device. According to the arrest report, Ballard was driving a 1993 Nissan truck that did not have an ignition interlock device.

Ballard’s license was revoked after getting convicted of DWI.

According to NC law, ignition interlock devices are usually required when a person had an alcohol concentration of .15 or higher, or if the person has previously been  convicted of impaired driving within seven years.

Ballard is charged with driving with a revoked license.

He is out of jail on a $500 bond.

Navassa Fire Chief Donny Williams says Ballard has administrative duties and has not driven a vehicle that belongs to the fire department in around a year.