Wrightsville Beach, officers cleared in 2011 incident

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Wrightsville Beach and two of its police officers have been cleared in a federal lawsuit stemming from a 2011 incident involving the son of a town leader.

A federal judge this week threw out the lawsuit filed by Adam Mills, the son of Wrightsville Beach Alderman Darryl Mills, who claimed officers Jimmy Rich and Jesse McCubbins violated his civil rights during an arrest. Police arrested Mills on suspicion of DWI the night his father was elected to the Board of Aldermen.

A video from the police station the town released in 2013 showed the incident, including Mills being verbally abusive to the officers and later a scuffle among the men in which Mills suffered multiple broken bones in his face. The officers were never disciplined.

In a summary judgment issued Monday, the judge ruled the officers’ use of force was not “objectively unreasonable.”

Darryl Mills currently serves as Wrightsville Beach’s Mayor Pro Tem.