A 19-year-old driver accused of underage drinking is facing felony charges after investigators say he drove through an fire scene in Dover, ran over a charged fire hose and attempted to spit on deputies

By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer

DOVER, N.C. — A case of underage drinking escalated to felony charges when a teen drove through firefighters battling a blaze and squashed their fire hose with his tires, according to investigations in eastern North Carolina.

It happened in the Dover community during the Jan. 31 snowstorm, and the 19-year-old driver “attempted to spit on deputies” when they confronted him, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 5 news release.

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The chaotic scene also included the arrest of a 34-year-old man accused of starting the house fire as part of domestic dispute, the sheriff’s office said.

“While multiple fire departments were working to extinguish the fire, a vehicle drove around multiple fire department vehicles that were blocking the roadway and ran over a fire hose being used to fight the fire,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Brian James Carrell ... was identified as the driver and admitted to consuming alcohol. After further investigation, Carrell attempted to spit on deputies.”

A sobriety test indicated Carrell’s blood alcohol level was .11%, officials said. The limit in North Carolina is 0.08% and the legal drinking age is 21.

Carrell, who lives in Jacksonville, was arrested and charged with:

• Felony malicious conduct by prisoner
• Driving over a fire hose
• Damage to property
• Possession of an open container
• Consuming alcohol underage
• Driving while impaired

Dover is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

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