Police officer threatens to kill man, shoots gun at NC campground, deputies say
A North Carolina State Capitol Police officer was arrested at a coastal campground, where deputies said he threatened to kill a man, fired his pistol into the ground and tried to break into campers.
Carteret County sheriff’s deputies were called to gunshots at Waterway Campground in Cedar Point on Oct. 25 and then took Steven Stell into custody, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The site is about a 140-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.
Information on Stell’s legal representation was not immediately available.
When deputies arrived at the campground, Stell told them he was a law enforcement officer, the sheriff’s office said.
Before their arrival, Stell was accused of shooting his gun into the ground while screaming at another man, threatening to kill him.
“I have a gun, I will shoot you,” Stell told the man, according to court documents.
According to deputies, Stell appeared to be intoxicated. It is unclear how the altercation unfolded.
Residents at the campground reported Stell made additional threats and tried to get inside people’s campers, the sheriff’s office said.
Stell damaged at least one woman’s property, specifically a gate latch, according to court documents.
Stell is charged with going armed to the terror of the public, communicating threats, injury to real property and discharging a firearm near a residence.
A judge ordered for Stell to be detained in jail “until sober,” the sheriff’s office said. He is due in court on Jan. 8.
The State Capitol Police agency is a part of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, which did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment on Oct. 28.
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