House report details hug of page by Rep. Allred

RALEIGH, N.C. — The House sergeant-at-arms has completed apreliminary review of allegations that a state lawmaker embraced a page and drank alcohol before speeding to work last month.

The report, which House Speaker Joe Hackney's office released Wednesday, makes no recommendations about Rep. Cary Allred, R-Alamance. The Legislative Ethics Committee will decide whether Allred receives more scrutiny.

The report includes statements from Allred's fellow Republicans who called it inappropriate when he hugged and kissed a 17-year-old female page on the House floor.

House Minority Leader Paul Stam and Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, both said in the report that they smelled alcohol on Allred's breath and noticed he was behaving erratically.

Other House members referred to Allred's interaction with the page as "a gruesome bear hug," "a big full-body hug" and "a lingering embrace," and several said the page appeared to be uncomfortable or embarrassed.

Allred has denied any wrongdoing, noting the teen is a family friend whom he kissed on the cheek. He also said he had one drink that night but wasn't drunk.

A Highway Patrol trooper stopped him in Orange County on his way to Raleigh after clocking his car at 102 mph on the highway. The trooper left him off with a warning after Allred flashed his legislative identification.

The Highway Patrol ticketed Allred four days later and began an internal investigation into why the trooper didn't cite him initially.