Sheriff's daughter pleads guilty to reckless driving

Vance County Sheriff's Office seal/badge

The daughter of Vance County Sheriff Peter White has pleaded guilty to reckless driving in an Easter Sunday incident that remains under investigation.

Shahita White, 34, was given a 30-day suspended sentence and placed on supervised probation for one year.

Two Vance County deputies stopped a sport utility vehicle on U.S. Highway 1 near Henderson on March 23 after drivers called 911 to report the vehicle was swerving through traffic as it headed the wrong way on the highway. Callers said the driver appeared to be drunk.

After they stopped the SUV and realized who was behind the wheel, the deputies called radio dispatchers, saying Shahita White was "blistered." The dispatchers then called the sheriff and told him his daughter had been stopped and was "55," radio shorthand for an intoxicated driver. Peter White went to the scene to pick up his daughter.

Two Henderson police officers who participated in the traffic stop said one deputy tried to give Shahita White a breath test to check her sobriety, but couldn't obtain a reading. White then slapped the deputy's arm away and refused to cooperate with another test, the officers said in internal memos filed after the incident.

The officers described her as smelling of alcohol, being unsteady on her feet, slurring her speech and having red, glassy eyes. The SUV had damage on the driver's side, the officers noted in the memos.

Vance County District Attorney Sam Currin initially said he couldn't pursue drunken driving charges against Shahita White because no roadside sobriety test had been done. After WRAL obtained the Henderson officers' memos, Currin asked State Bureau of Investigation agents to review the case, saying details provided by the officers established probable cause for a DWI charge.

The investigation hasn't been completed.

Peter White has denied interfering in the initial investigation and said his deputies handled everything properly.

Share:
Add to del.icio.us del.icio.us    Add to Digg Digg    Add to Google Google    Add to Yahoo! Yahoo!    Add to facebookfacebook   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon    Add to Reddit Reddit

51 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

0
Make this story a GOLO Hot Topic!
This story is 5 votes short of making the GOLO Hot Topics list.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.
Ask Anything
  1. Cary police K-9 handler Jeremy Burgin and dog, Max
    10 questions with Cary police K-9 Handler Jeremy Burgin

    K-9 Handler Jeremy Burgin answers your questions about training his dog Max, bullet-proof vests for dogs ...

  2. Dr. June Atkinson
    10 questions with State Schools Superintendent June Atkinson

    The state's schools chief answers your questions about funding for schools, seatbelts in buses ...

  3. Harold Weinbrecht
    10 questions with Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht

    Harold Weinbrecht answers your questions about the town's reputation, annexations, growth ...

Multimedia
  1. IMG_3715.jpg
    GOLO 1 Year Anniversary Party

  2. BET AWARDS 2008 Press Room
    Campaign Trail Photos of the Week

    View photos from the past week on the campaign trail from AP photographers around the country.

  3. Pumping gas / gas pump generic
    Gas Prices across the nation

    See the cost of gasoline in all 50 states, as reported by the Associated Press.

  4. usyschamp062508
    Southern Regional Soccer championships

    Championship games were held Wednesday, June 25, at the Southern Regional soccer tournament in Raleigh and Wilson.

  5. Grocery Cart Tracker- Special 5OYS Edition
    Warehouse cheaper than grocers

    Monica Laliberte compares the prices of fourteen common items at warehouse stores and regular grocery stores.