Liberty officer resigns following arrest

LIBERTY – A Liberty police officer resigned from his position with the department after being charged with DUI following a crash while pulling into the police department to start his shift earlier this month.  

Just before 6 p.m. Feb 14, troopers with the N.C. Highway Patrol responded to a crash on Old Liberty Road, in front of the entrance to the parking lot for the Liberty Police Department.  

According to the accident investigation, 50-year-old Kevin Robert Carey of Siler City, while making a left turn into the parking lot of the Liberty Police Department, crossed into the path of an oncoming vehicle in the opposite lane of travel, resulting in both vehicles colliding. 

No serious injuries were reported, and the occupants of both vehicles refused transport to a hospital.  

Troopers suspected Carey was under the influence at the time of the crash. According to the crash report, a test for alcohol revealed a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.11% alcohol by volume, over the legal limit of 0.08%. 

Carey was charged with Driving While Impaired and issued a citation for failure to yield by the Highway Patrol.  

Early in the afternoon on Feb. 15, the Liberty Police Department issued a statement through a post on Facebook. That post acknowledged that the crash had involved an employee with the department and that employee had been suspended pending an internal investigation.  

“One of the parties involved was an off duty Liberty Police Officer in his personal vehicle, on his way to report for duty,” the post said. “As this collision occurred outside of city limits, standard procedure was followed and the North Carolina Highway Patrol was requested to handle the accident investigation. During the course of the investigation the Troopers developed probable cause to charge the employee with Driving While Impaired.  The criminal investigation will be handled by the NCSHP. The employee has been suspended pending an internal investigation conducted by the Town.”

According to public records, Carey was hired by the Liberty Police Department on Aug. 28, 2020, and resigned his position on Feb. 15. 

Carey has a court date in Randolph County on April 15 for the charges from the accident.