Mayor of New Bern arrested on DWI charge

The mayor of New Bern is facing charges he was driving drunk with children in the car early Monday morning. Other drivers called 911 to report the Chevrolet van moving erratically.

"This guy almost hit about six people. He is everywhere," a caller told dispatchers.

Lee Bettis, 48, asserts that he was tired but not drunk or high on drugs. "When you blow a zero on a Breathalyzer test, that should be the end of it," he said.

A police officer performed a field sobriety test and found cause to charge him with driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain lane control and a lane violation.

Bettis said recent hip replacement surgery made it hard for him to walk in a straight line. 

He consented to having his blood drawn. It will be a analyzed by the SBI lab for alcohol and any other controlled substances.

"This has been extremely difficult on my family," said Bettis. His court date is set for July 18.