SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — As part of the statewide Booze It & Lose It campaign, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office set up a DWI checkpoint on Saturday, Oct. 22. It resulted in 51 citations, though only four were issued to motorists for driving while impaired.
Multiple law enforcement agencies parked the mobile unit at 11793 US Hwy 17 in Hampstead. On hand were officers from New Hanover Sheriff’s Office, Burgaw, Surf City, Topsail Beach, and Wilmington police departments, NC Highway Patrol, and Pender County Emergency Management.
The following charges were issued:
4 DWI
3 Driving while license revoked
5 No operations license
15 Expired vehicle registration
1 Open container
2 Possession of marijuana
3 Drug paraphernalia
7 Expired inspection
6 Window tint
1 Muffler
3 Unlawful vehicle modifications
1 Motorcycle endorsement.
The Booze It & Lose It campaign is underway through Halloween, in an effort to raise awareness and thwart the dangers of drinking and driving. According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, DWIs were at the root of a quarter of crashes in 2019 — 11,492 out of 53,541 — with 348 fatalities.
Drivers can expect to see a saturation of patrols and stepping up checkpoints through Monday, Oct. 31.
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