Wilmington police horse recovering after injured by alleged drunk driver
A member of Wilmington Police's mounted unit is recovering after being involved in a crash this weekend.
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A member of Wilmington Police’s mounted unit is recovering after being involved in a crash this weekend.
Elton is an equine officer on Wilmington Police’s mounted unit. The unit is made up of three horses and three human officers.
Just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, WPD says the mounted units were walking along South Front Street in downtown Wilmington when a drunk driver attempted to pass them. 19-year-old Elton and a mounted unit officer were struck from behind by the vehicle.
24-year-old Alexis Williamson was charged with DWI, improper passing, and failure to reduce speed. Police say she blew a .19 at the time of her arrest, more than twice the legal limit.
Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams says driving under the influence puts everyone in danger.
“You endanger yourself, but you endanger the general public. Countless citizens are hurt or killed because of someone not being responsible,” Williams said. “There’s just so many options available in 2022. There’s Uber, there’s so many taxis.”
The human officer was not injured in Saturday’s incident, but Elton sustained injuries to his left leg. He is now in the recovery process, taking pain medication and going through hydrotherapy for the foreseeable future.
“He is a remarkable animal. He’s a public relations tool for us and he’s also a crowd control tool. He is a working part of this agency and we are just so fortunate to be one of the only agencies in the state that has a full time mounted unit,” Williams said.
Chief Williams says K-9 and equine officers should be treated with the same respect as human officers.
“The animals go through the same things that their handlers and their riders go through. They’re exposed to danger, they’re not just pets,” Williams said.
Unfortunately, Williams says this was not Elton’s first run-in with a drunk driver. One of Elton’s previous riders says the horse was clipped by a car mirror by a drunk driver in the past.
