GPD officer arrested for DWI
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on April 9, 2010 1:46 PM
A Goldsboro police officer is suspended without pay following an arrest for driving while impaired in Kenly late Tuesday, Police Chief Tim Bell said Thursday.
Officer Earvin Eugene Howell Jr., 25, who was been with the police department for about nine months, was arrested just after 10 p.m. on the 400 block of South Church Street in Kenly, Bell said.
Howell lives in the Kenly area.
The police chief said the department did not have a "zero tolerance" policy on convictions for driving while impaired. However, the police chief noted that the charge was a serious matter for the 25-year-old officer.
"I'm going to have to wait and see what happens to the charges in court, and then I'll take appropriate actions from there," Bell said Thursday morning.
According to online court records, Howell has a first appearance June 8 in Johnston County District Court.
Maj. Mike Hopper, who oversees operations for the police department, said he was disappointed with the officer's decision-making skills.
"It's always ... problematic when we have an officer arrested because we're held to a higher standard, and it's unfortunate for him. It'll be a stain, a black mark on his record."