By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
DOVER, N.C. — A case of underage drinking escalated to felony charges when a teen drove through firefighters battling a blaze and squashed their fire hose with his tires, according to investigations in eastern North Carolina.
It happened in the Dover community during the Jan. 31 snowstorm, and the 19-year-old driver “attempted to spit on deputies” when they confronted him, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 5 news release.
The chaotic scene also included the arrest of a 34-year-old man accused of starting the house fire as part of domestic dispute, the sheriff’s office said.
“While multiple fire departments were working to extinguish the fire, a vehicle drove around multiple fire department vehicles that were blocking the roadway and ran over a fire hose being used to fight the fire,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Brian James Carrell … was identified as the driver and admitted to consuming alcohol. After further investigation, Carrell attempted to spit on deputies.”
A sobriety test indicated Carrell’s blood alcohol level was .11%, officials said. The limit in North Carolina is 0.08% and the legal drinking age is 21.
Carrell, who lives in Jacksonville, was arrested and charged with:
- Felony malicious conduct by prisoner
- Driving over a fire hose
- Damage to property
- Possession of an open container
- Consuming alcohol underage
- Driving while impaired
Dover is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.
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