Murphy – A former Cherokee County sheriff’s deputy is facing a DWI charge for the second time in seven months and is also accused of assaulting a jailer in a separate incident days earlier.
Cherokee County Chief Deputy Chris Wood said Carroll Edward Mathis of Andrews was arrested by a N.C. Highway Patrol officer Saturday night after registering a blood alcohol content of 0.23. The incident occurred just five days after Mathis allegedly assaulted a Cherokee County Detention Center officer while being held at the facility for safekeeping.
Wood said he had seen video of the altercation at the detention center.
“You see Eddie stumble and run into the jailer and Eddie stands back, and you can tell Eddie is jawing at him,” Wood said.
“Then Eddie just takes two hands and shoves him.”
Wood said the officer injured his hand in the incident and received medical attention at a nearby hospital as a result.
This latest series of events
began when a sheriff’s deputy responded to a July 18 call about a man passed out in a parked car near what was formerly Cherokee Hills Golf Club. The individual turned out to be Mathis, who was transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center for safekeeping. Wood said Mathis later got into the physical altercation with the officer.
“He was charged with assault at that point, but there were no charges from the initial call because they didn’t have any proof of driving,” Wood said.
“The keys weren’t in the ignition, the car wasn’t cranked, and nobody saw him drive. Eddie said that he and his wife had been fighting, and he was just sleeping in his car there to cool off.”
Mathis was charged with DWI, reckless driving and damage to property in December 2021 following an incident at Andrews Elementary School. He was transported from the school by Andrews police on Dec. 2 after officers responded to a 911 call of a possible impaired driver.
Andrews Police Chief Rocky Burrell said facts to establish
probable cause for a charge of driving while impaired were not present at that time. Burrell
said he learned additional details about the case and about the existence of additional evidence during a Dec. 3 meeting at the school with Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Jeana Conley, Andrews Elementary Principal Sarah Tatham, Andrews Elementary teacher Amber Bristol and Andrews Mayor James Reid.
Burrell received written statements from a witness who observed Mathis driving – which allegedly caused damage to school property – and a copy of photos and video of the incident captured by a camera located at the school, contributing to the charges.
Burrell said he and officer Justin Dockery were traveling in the same vehicle when they responded to the 911 call about 3:20 p.m. They located Mathis’ vehicle parked behind the school and observed that it was turned off without keys in the ignition.
According to Burrell, he detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from within the car and asked Mathis to step out of the vehicle. He also noted that Mathis had bloodshot eyes and “drool” or spit around his mouth and on his beard. When Mathis stepped out of the vehicle, he appeared unstable on his feet and that the odor of alcohol seemed to be coming from his body.
Mathis allegedly stated that he had not been drinking, and that a leg injury was the reason that he was unstable on his feet.
Burrell said Mathis agreed
to allow Dockery to drive his vehicle from the school while Burrell transported him to police headquarters. There, Mathis asked to receive a Portable Breath Test
to prove he had not been drinking. The PBT indicated a positive
result and Mathis eventually
agreed to let Dockery take him home.
Burrell said he contacted a magistrate regarding the case on Dec 7 – a day after he received additional statements and photos – and was advised that there was probable cause to charge Mathis with damage to property and reckless driving. Burrell then contacted assistant district attorney John Hindsman, who felt there was enough evidence to prosecute Mathis for DWI as well.
Burrell said most law enforcement in the area are familiar with Mathis due to the fact that he used to be a sheriff’s deputy for more than 15 years.