LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — Deputies said an off-duty veteran Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy was charged with driving while impaired by the North Carolina Highway Patrol Saturday morning.
Gerald David Dellinger, 51, of 295 Howard Lingerfelt Road, Vale, North Carolina, was driving his vehicle on west Highway 27 when it went off the road, down an embankment and into a tree.
Dellinger left the scene and was later picked up at his residence by the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
The 25-year veteran submitted his resignation to Sheriff David Carpenter Saturday.
Dellinger was taken to the Lincoln County Magistrate's Office, where he registered a .08 blood alcohol level.
He was processed at the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center and released on a $1,000 unsecured bond. He is scheduled to appear in Lincoln County District Court Feb. 19.
"We are human and we make mistakes in life, with this comes one of the many challenges of dealing with our mistakes. Drinking and driving will not be tolerated on any level for any person in our profession and I hate what happened early this morning for both our office and Officer Dellinger," Carpenter said.
WSOC
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