The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
The man who was elected to serve as the new mayor of Sharpsburg, North Carolina, on May 8 has been accused of driving while impaired and five additional charges approximately one hour after winning the race.
Robert L. Williams Jr. has attempted to run for the position of mayor of the small town of Sharpsburg a total of three times. After losing the elections in 2013 and 2017 Williams went up against incumbent Randy Weaver for the position in the 2018 election last Tuesday.
After the voting at the polls had concluded and were counted Williams was announced the new mayor holding 51 percent of the votes.
Nearly an hour after the event ended a white pickup truck was seen driving erratically and reportedly caused a near-accident in the vicinity of the town hall building.
The citizen who spotted the incident notified the authorities to let them know what had taken place, and the caller additionally alleged that Williams was the driver of the pickup. Officers also reported that they were informed that Williams was intoxicated when he got into his vehicle at the polling location.
When police responded and found the truck in motion they attempted to pull the driver over but he allegedly did not immediately stop and ended up veering off the road.
When the officer approached the pickup he positively identified Williams as the driver and noted that he detected the smell of alcohol. Williams was given a sobriety test and his blood-alcohol content was reportedly recorded as 0.13 percent.
The officer determined that Williams was driving while impaired and when he attempted to take him into custody, Williams “sort of struggled a little bit,” according to John Hunt, the Sharpsburg police chief.
Williams was arrested and taken to the Nash County Detention Center. He is facing charges of DWI, possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm after consuming alcohol, possession of a firearm on government property, failure to stop for blue lights and sirens, and two charges of resist, obstruct, delay.
Williams was released from custody after submitting a bond of a written promise to appear at his scheduled court date on June 5, which is the same day he is set to be sworn in as mayor.
If you or someone you love is suspected of DWI or weapon possession, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.