NC Auditor Beth Wood makes public appearance, weeks after crash was reported
North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood made her first known public appearance Thursday since news of her crash and misdemeanor charge was reported about three weeks ago.
Wood, who has served as state auditor since 2009, presented a budget request on behalf of the State Auditor’s Office to a legislative committee Thursday morning, requesting funds for the next two fiscal years.
Wood did not attend a monthly Council of State meeting in person Tuesday, electing to call in remotely instead, The News & Observer reported.
Wood faces a hit-and-run misdemeanor charge following an incident in December when she crashed her car into a parked vehicle in downtown Raleigh, The N&O reported.
In a statement last month, Wood said that she regretted her actions, calling leaving the scene of the crash a “serious mistake.”
Members of the joint appropriations general government committee commented on the budget presentation but did not speak on the hit-and-run incident or the charges Wood faces.
“Thank you, committee members, for allowing us to present this morning our budget ask,” Wood said at the beginning of her presentation. “I promise you it’s not that long, and it’s certainly not that big.”
The State Auditor’s Office is asking to expand the office’s budget by more than $1.4 million in the next fiscal year to fund salary increases for staff and new information technology equipment.
Wood’s office did not respond to emailed questions regarding her appearance at the committee meeting Thursday.
Except for January’s statement, Wood has not spoken publicly about the incident.
She and her spokesperson have not answered questions from The N&O, including about if, and when, Wood reported the crash to the police. Wood was charged four days after the crash, on Dec. 12, the same day she submitted a report to the state saying the police were called. The report says she was not cited in the crash.
Was Wood driving another state car after crash?
Last month, the Department of Administration, which supervises the fleet of vehicles for state employees, said that Wood’s vehicle assignment had been temporarily suspended in light of an ongoing investigation.
The director of Motor Fleet Management, the division that manages the state motor fleet, notified Wood on Jan. 24 that her assignment had been suspended for the time being, DOA spokesperson Julia Hegele said.
A letter from Motor Fleet Director Robert Riddle, provided by Wood’s office, states that the Toyota Camry Wood was driving at the time of the crash, which was still undergoing repairs as of Jan. 24, would not be returned to her unless Motor Fleet “determines that the temporary termination of vehicle assignment should be lifted at the conclusion of the investigation.”
“Furthermore, you are discouraged from driving any other state-owned vehicle during this investigative period,” Riddle wrote in the letter.
Vehicle logs provided by Wood’s office, first reported by Axios Raleigh, show that Wood began driving another state-issued car, also a Toyota Camry, on Dec. 12, the day she was charged with the misdemeanor. Wood continued logging miles on the car until at least Jan. 31, a week after she was discouraged by Motor Fleet from driving any other state cars.
Hegele said that since the Dec. 8 crash, Motor Fleet had not assigned Wood another state vehicle for her to use.
Instead, Wood was driving one of five other state-owned cars assigned to the Office of State Auditor for use by its employees, according to Catherine Nagy, a spokesperson for Wood’s office.
Wood has not clarified what happened
Since news of the crash emerged, Wood has avoided answering questions about what caused her to crash her car. In her statement, Wood said she attended a holiday gathering in downtown Raleigh, and after leaving the function, crashed her car.
Apart from saying that she made a “sharp turn,” Wood did not say what happened.
A video posted on Instagram appeared to show Wood being escorted by a group of people into a building on the corner of South Salisbury and West Hargett streets — the site of the crash — right after it happened.
That building is occupied in part by the office of Edmisten and Webb, a law firm where former N.C. secretary of state and attorney general Rufus Edmisten is a partner. Edmisten was hosting a holiday party at the office the evening of the crash, according to WRAL, which cited a copy of an invitation to the party.
The N&O asked a spokesperson for Wood if she was attending Edmisten’s party, but did not receive a response. The N&O also tried to reach Edmisten via phone and by contacting him at his office, but was told he was unavailable.
An attorney for Wood, Roger W. Smith Jr., appeared on her behalf in Wake County traffic court last month. Wood’s next court date is scheduled for March 23.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 2:21 PM.
