Corrected at 11:40 a.m. on April 7. See details in story.

A criminal summons has been issued for a Hillsborough resident who police say held a block party Sunday night that violated the state’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, according to a town news release Monday.

Police plan to charge Tocee Mitchell, 32, of 585 Riddle Ave., with violating Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 121 to stay at home. A criminal summons orders someone who has been charged with a crime to appear in court.

Mitchell is accused of hosting a party with 30 to 50 people in attendance in northern Hillsborough.

Officers responded to the party twice Sunday. They found about 30 cars in the area during the first visit at 6:37 p.m. Sunday and warned the partygoers about violating the stay-at-home order, according to the news release.

At 7:46 p.m., the officers returned to Riddle Avenue and found partygoers and their cars were still there.

When police announced over a loudspeaker that the party violated the order and asked the partygoers to leave, the party cleared out within 15 to 20 minutes, the news release said. Officers stayed in the area for the rest of the night.

Hillsborough police reminded the community in Monday’s news release to avoid large gatherings and stay at home to slow the transmission of COVID-19.

Orange County issued a local stay-at-home order on March 27; the state order took effect March 30. Orange County had reported more than 65 coronavirus cases by Monday afternoon, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Both the local and state orders ask people to stay at home unless they need to go out to get food, medicine or other essential supplies; to exercise; or to help a friend or family member.

Gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited, and the public is asked to maintain a social distance of 6 feet from each other at all times. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also is recommending that people wear cloth face masks when leaving home.

Although the state’s order is in effect through at least April 29, Orange County residents are under a more strict, local order that remains effective at least through April 30.

Possible violations reported in Durham

Hillsborough police ask that anyone with questions about a violation of the county and state orders contact them online at tinyurl.com/v8vrts4 or call 919-296-9500 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call 911 if those options are not available or for an emergency, police said.

In Durham, police officers have responded to several reports of possible violations, said Kammie Michael, spokesperson for the Durham Police Department.

“In each instance, the party involved was reminded of the orders and they immediately complied,” Michael wrote in an email. “At this time, there have been no enforcement actions related to violations of any COVID-19 orders.”

The Durham County Sheriff’s Office, the Raleigh Police Department and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office also had not charged anyone with violating state or local stay-at-home orders as of Monday afternoon.

Staff writer Mark Schultz contributed to this report.

The story has been corrected to say that a criminal summons was issued, instead of a warrant. A criminal summons orders someone to appear in court to answer a charge. A warrant authorizes law enforcement to arrest someone.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 2:32 PM.

Tammy Grubb

The News & Observer

919-829-8926

Tammy Grubb has written about Orange County’s politics, people and government since 2010. She is a UNC-Chapel Hill alumna and has lived and worked in the Triangle for over 30 years.