Police: Sheriff's Daughter Refused Sobriety Test

Henderson, N.C. — Two Henderson police officers who participated in a traffic stop involving Vance County Sheriff Peter White's daughter last month said the woman refused a roadside sobriety test and became abusive toward deputies.

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.

When the deputy realized the SUV driver was Shahita White, 34, he called Vance County dispatchers to report the incident, telling them Shahita White was "blistered." A dispatcher then called the sheriff to notify him his daughter had been charged with reckless driving, and the sheriff went to the scene to pick her up.

Vance County District Attorney Sam Currin said he has no evidence to pursue further charges against Shahita White because deputies didn't administer a sobriety test during the traffic stop.

In memos about the incident obtained by WRAL, Henderson officers B.R. Hobgood and H.L. Williams stated one deputy tried 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.

"Get that (expletive) out of my face. My daddy is the sheriff," Hobgood quoted her as saying.

According to Williams, she said, "I ain't taking no test. I am going to sit in my vehicle until my father gets here."

The two officers had to grab the keys out of the SUV to ensure White didn't drive off after she got back in the driver's seat, the two officers said.

They described her as smelling of alcohol, being unsteady on her feet, slurring her speech and having red, glassy eyes. They also said she appeared to have urinated on herself.

The SUV had damage on the driver's side, the officers noted in their reports.

Currin said he would review the officers' memos and determine whether the investigation into the traffic stop needed to be reopened.

Peter White couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. He previously denied interfering in the initial investigation.

Carolyn Yancey, Shahita White's attorney, declined to comment Wednesday.