Officer charged in traffic accident
By Laura Collins
Published in News on September 1, 2010 1:46 PM
A Goldsboro police officer has been charged in a motor vehicle crash that occurred Tuesday morning at the intersection of Ash and James streets.
Sgt. Teresa Cox was charged with a safe movement violation after the patrol car she was driving struck another vehicle as she was passing through the intersection. Ms. Cox was responding to another call and had her lights flashing and siren on, according to Goldsboro Police Major Mike West.
"Just because an officer is running lights and siren doesn't mean they're exempt from all motor vehicle laws," West said. "Our policy is when they do come to an intersection with a red light they're to slow down or stop if they have to."
The driver of the second vehicle, Bryan Horne, 51, of Hickory Crossroads, Kenly, was driving a Ford Explorer, and was charged with failure to yield to blue lights and siren.
Horne was knocked into a third vehicle, a Dodge pickup truck driven by Charles Brown, 50, of Beech Street, that was stopped at the light on Ash Street facing east.
West said there were no injuries reported at the time of the accident.
As a result of the charge, Ms. Cox will now have to appear before the City Safety Service Committee to tell what occurred. If the committee finds fault with Ms. Cox, it will assign points to her city driving record, West said. If a city employee accumulates too many points on their city driving record, it could be suspended or revoked.