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Ocracoke Island was in an uproar over the weekend when two
state troopers made their presence known during a big tourist weekend
that ended with the patrolmen’s cars getting vandalized.
Troopers from Troop A, District 4 in Washington (Beaufort County)
arrived on the island Wednesday and left Saturday morning, First Sgt.
Brandon Craft said today.
Over the weekend, 59 citations were issued, including 32 for not
wearing seat belts and five for driving while impaired, Craft said.
Eighteen warnings were given, and only warnings were given for bicycle
infractions, such as riding at night without a light.
Early Saturday morning, the troopers’ cars were vandalized. One car
had a cinder block thrown through the back window and the other had
paint splashed all over it, Craft confirmed.
Two weeks after state troopers were on Ocracoke during
the Ocracoke Island Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament and passed out
59 tickets and 18 warnings, rumors are still circulating about the
events of that weekend.
Uniformly, islanders do not condone the vandalism of the two
troopers’ cars early Saturday morning of that weekend and several have
suggested that the sooner folks stop talking about the whole thing and
try to heal the divide, the better.
Nor do islanders condone driving while impaired from whatever
substance, but many were startled about having been stopped and
questioned for seemingly minor — though still unlawful — infractions.
More than a few islanders were stopped twice for various infractions.
“I don’t have a problem with the state troopers ticketing anyone who
deserves a ticket, however, some of the motorists who were stopped felt
more victimized than protected,” observed Leslie Monticone, whose
comment was echoed by many.
“Overzealous” is the term that has been heard frequently these last two weeks.
Nevertheless, First Sergeant Brandon Craft of Troop A, District 4 in
Washington (Beaufort County), in a previous interview, said that often a
small infraction, such as a seat belt violation, leads to a
drunk-driving arrest.
“We get paid to be nosy,” he said. “As uncomfortable as it is,
that’s what we get paid to do. I will do everything I can to arrest
drunk drivers.”
Ocracoke Island has historically had visits from the troopers on Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day weekends.
Islanders weren’t sure about whether the state police had visited
before on the weekend of the annual surf-fishing tournament the first
weekend in May, which is the first big tourist weekend of the season. It
includes 70 teams of six fishermen who pay hundreds of dollars each to
participate, as well as spending for lodging and food. Proceeds from the
tournament are donated to several nonprofits on the island.
*“Half of my tables that weekend had gotten pulled over,” observed an island server who declined to be identified.
*Uncalled for.BT
One of the tournament board members, Patty Plyler, is still upset
about what she perceived as the troopers looking for anything to pull
people over.
“It ruined the fishing tournament, and I’m just furious about it,”
she said recently. “It wasn’t even about the alcohol. All the people
that week were feeling harassed and stressed and that’s no way to spend a
vacation.”
Mostly, it was just one more thing—along with fighting ferry
tolls, compromised ferry service from Hatteras, more trouble with
overwash on Highway 12, and fighting the gamefish bill—that Ocracokers
have been stressed about since 2011.
