BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A Southport alderman’s dismissed driving while impaired case faces an appeal, after a Brunswick County assistant district attorney filed a motion to Judge Scott Ussery’s June 2 decision.
The judge approved a motion to dismiss Southport Alderman Robert Carroll’s case in a May 11 hearing and signed off on it earlier this month. Nine days later, ADA Madison Parker filed a motion for it to be considered again.
“The State respectfully requests an appeal de novo of the Order and does not agree with the findings of fact and conclusions of law cited in said order,” she wrote, according to court documents.
READ MORE: Alderman’s DWI case to be dismissed by judge
“De novo” means a higher court — in this case, the Brunswick County Superior Court — will hear the case.
Carroll told Port City Daily Friday he could not comment, per his attorney’s advice.
The alderman was pulled over in Boiling Spring Lakes in December 2025 and issued a citation for driving under the influence. Officer Bartlomiej Wanczyk pulled him over, alleging Carroll was driving to the left of the center lane against oncoming traffic and speeding. Carroll’s blood alcohol level tested 0.21, more than twice the state’s maximum legal alcohol level of 0.08.
However, issues arose during his arrest, which led to Carroll’s attorney, Dustin Sullivan, filing a motion to dismiss the case. He claimed the alderman’s rights were violated during his arrest because the officer attempted to limit the amount of people Carroll was allowed to call by right and limited his ability to contact witnesses in testing his level of intoxication.
On May 8, Sullivan filed a motion to dismiss, accepted by the judge. The date for the case to appear in superior court has yet been decided.
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