LILLINGTON, N.C. (WNCN) — A Harnett County district judge was arrested and charged Monday with DWI, child abuse, and reckless driving, according to arrest warrants.
District 11 Judge Jason Kimble was arrested by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol after court records stated he was involved in a crash shortly after 3 p.m.
The trooper noted in a report that Kimble had an odor of alcohol coming from his breath. The report said Kimble told law enforcement he drank earlier in the day.
Warrants state Kimble was driving “in a manner so as to endanger persons or property.”
He also was charged with child abuse for driving with his child “K,” who was under 16 years old and “allow[ed] a substantial risk of physical injury upon that child by other than accidental means by driving while impaired.”
Court records show Kimble refused a breathalyzer test and was booked in the Harnett County Detention Center. His license has been suspended for 30 days.
North Carolina law states that if a driver refuses a sobriety test, their license is automatically suspended.
Kimble received a written promise to appear in court on Oct. 11.
