WILMINGTON — A former Wilmington Police Department officer charged with multiple felonies was indicted by a grand jury on Monday.
READ MORE: Judge denies state’s $1M bond request for WPD officer charged with ‘intent to kill’
Darryl Warren is officially being charged with driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault on a female, and carrying a concealed weapon.
An indictment is the mechanism that moves a case from district court to superior court. The grand jury, a panel of up to 18 citizens selected to serve a 12-month term, heard a summary of the case from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Grand jury hearings are closed and confidential; only the jurors and the person presenting the case are involved.
The grand jury, selected by a superior court judge from residents issued jury summonses, decided there was enough evidence presented for the state to move forward with the case.
A trial date has not been set yet. Warren’s next hearing is Sept. 11 in administrative court, which handles pleas, hearings and motions.
“[A]ttorneys work on the case to determine what evidence is outstanding, await lab results, speak to victims and witnesses, and enter plea negotiations,” Sam Dooies, assistant to District Attorney Ben David, wrote in an email to PCD. “The vast majority of cases are resolved at this stage. Those that cannot be resolved move to a Trial Calendar.”
Warren was charged with reckless driving and driving while impaired on July 25 after driving his Toyota Tundra off the road and striking a female. He blew a 0.10 blood alcohol level and witnesses to the incident said it appeared Warren was intentionally trying to hit the victim.
It was later shared in court by assistant district attorney for the state Kristi Severo the victim is Warren’s girlfriend and they live together. Following a State Bureau of Investigation review, he was arrested July 30 with additional charges of assault with intent to kill and assault on a female.
Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill is a class C felony, alone punishable by five to 15 years in prison.
Dooies said it’s difficult to predict what kind of penalties someone faces when multiple charges are involved.
“Structured Sentencing in North Carolina not only takes into account the current crimes charged, but also takes into account an individual’s prior criminal history,” she wrote in an email to Port City Daily.
Warren also has a criminal history, mostly charges in Durham, dating back more than 15 years; however, four of five were dismissed.
In 2002, Warren was charged with felony breaking and entering, which was reduced to a guilty misdemeanor. He was also charged with felony possession of a stolen firearm in 2005, making a threatening phone call in 2006 and possession of schedule VI-controlled substances and resisting a public officer in 2002.
Warren had his first court appearance Aug. 1 where he was given a $100,000 secured bond, despite the state’s prosecution seeking $1 million.
New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jerry Brewer confirmed Warren bonded out the same day using a bail bondsman as a surety he will continue to appear at future court dates. In North Carolina, defendants pay a maximum 15% fee of the total bond.
Warren is ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device while out on bond and had to turn over all his weapons. He also is prohibited from consuming alcohol and must wear a SCRAM bracelet, which monitors alcohol use.
An attorney from the public defender’s office was assigned to Warren’s case.
The defendant was a WPD officer for two-and-a-half years before being terminated Aug. 1 after an internal investigation concluded he violated departmental policies.
Prior to WPD, Warren served as a Wrightsville Beach Police Department officer for five years from 2015 to October 2020.
In the last year, the ex-officer has had law enforcement called in due to alleged threatening behavior. A fight broke out at Veteran’s Park in March 2023 during a child’s flag football game and according to 911 calls, Warren was intoxicated, belligerent and was involved in the fight. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, called to the incident, confirmed Warren was in attendance. Lt. Brewer also said some witnesses claimed he was the one trying to stop the fight.
“We do have one of the guys, who was in the fight afterward, say, ‘No, after it was broken up, he chased me down and brandished a firearm,’” Brewer told PCD last week.
He also said there was not enough evidence for any criminal charges.
On the civil side, Warren’s ex-wife filed for a protective order against him in summer 2022, claiming she did not feel safe for herself or her children. An incident spurred the request for a protective order, alleging he came to her house late at night, impaired, yelling and kicking her door, threatening her. She called 911 and asked for law enforcement to come out to the house, but Warren left by the time they arrived.
Judge Russell Davis denied the protective order; he was the same judge who Warren appeared before Aug. 1.
After Warren’s current charges, the wife has received emergency custody of the children.
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