Orange County deputies say big New Year’s Eve party violated NC coronavirus orders

A Burlington man was arrested after Orange County sheriff’s deputies say he threw a New Year’s Eve party that drew about 100 people to a large tent near Hillsborough.

Deputies charged Jacob Alfred Kurtis Bethea, 30, with violating Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders meant to prevent gatherings where people might spread the coronavirus.

The sheriff’s department cited two sections of Executive Order 163, issued in September. One of the sections limited mass gatherings to 25 people indoors and up to 50 people outdoors. The other ordered certain entertainment facilities to close.

Cooper later lowered the limit for inside gatherings to 10 people.

The sheriff’s office said Bethea is accused of “opening/operating an entertainment facility.”

The party was in a large tent at the site of the Palmers Grove Community Center. Deputies say Bethea advertised the gathering, New Years in the Valley, through social media and dubbed it “the biggest New Year’s party in the state,” according to a press release.

People purchased tickets online. Ten people carried semi-automatic handguns to provide security, the release said, and one carried an AR-15 rifle.

Deputies also served Bethea with an outstanding warrant from Guilford County that charged him with a mass gathering violation during an event in September.

A magistrate released Bethea after he made a written promise to appear for his first court date on March 1, the release stated.

This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 6:58 PM.