NC State Trooper Charged With Drunken Driving, Hit And Run

An off-duty North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper has been arrested on charges of drunken driving and felony hit and run.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Master Trooper Timothy Scott Stiwinter Hendersonville was arrested after a wreck Thursday night in which a vehicle ran a red light and hit a car.

Investigators say Stiwinter was stopped by an Asheville police officer a couple hours after the wreck. An officer said she detected the smell of alcohol on Stiwinter's breath and that he was unsteady. He refused to take a field sobriety test or a breath-alcohol test.
A search warrant has been filed to test Stiwinter's blood. It was unclear if he has an attorney.
Stiwinter was released on an involuntary commitment order, which means he was taken to a hospital because there was reason to believe he was a danger to himself or others, according to court papers.
Stiwinter has been with the Highway Patrol since 1999. A patrol spokesman was not immediately available to discuss Stiwinter's status.