Drunk cop who fled crash ordered to live with parents until court date, NC judge rules
A 33-year-old deputy and school resource officer in North Carolina was arrested Monday in a neighboring county after driving on the wrong side of a four-lane highway, media outlets report.
Karen Lee worked at Frink Middle School in La Grange, roughly 60 miles southeast of Raleigh. The Lenoir County deputy was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and an open container violation, according to WCTI.
Deputies tacked on child abuse charges after her “three young children were found home alone with no supervision,” WITN reported.
Lee was reportedly stopped in Craven County, where her husband is a deputy, according to an earlier article by WCTI.
Deputies there were alerted following a hit-and-run accident on U.S. 70 in nearby Jones County, WITN reported.
According to the media outlet, troopers in Craven County stopped her driving east in the westbound lanes.
Court records show Lee had “an odor of alcohol” and “red glassy eyes” as well as an open container, the Kinston Free Press reported.
Her blood alcohol level was .19 percent — more than double the legal limit, according to the newspaper.
The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Department told the Free Press that Lee was “no longer an employee” after an internal investigation was completed. Frink Middle School is also without a resource officer.
According to the newspaper, Lee was released but ordered to live with her parents in Greensboro until her next court date.
WITN reported that will be Dec. 3.
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Drunk cop who fled crash ordered to live with parents until court date, NC judge rules."
