ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A Rowan County magistrate is off the job after an arrest for alleged drunken driving in Stanly County.
Tuesday, Jeffrey Forbes told Channel 9 that after working for the state as a magistrate for 27 years, he was no longer employed.
Forbes declined to comment on his arrest Thursday on DWI and reckless driving charges.
Troopers said another driver called 911 to report Forbes' truck swerving across the road.
Investigators said they stopped Forbes' truck on Highway 205 near Second Street in Oakboro, and said he identified himself as a magistrate and told them he was driving home after a trip to the beach.
According to court documents, Forbes had red, glassy eyes, smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet before he failed field sobriety tests and blew a 0.20 on the Breathalyzer test.
Tuesday, Forbes appeared before a judge but his case was continued.
Channel 9 reached out to Rowan County Chief District Court Judge Charlie Brown, who oversees the magistrates, but he did not return a request for comment.