NC State Auditor Beth Wood hit-and-run court case continued, moved to March

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina's State Auditor Beth Wood did not appear in a Wake County courtroom Thursday. Her case has been moved to March.

Wood, 68, was scheduled to appear in district court on charges involving a hit-and-run that happened in early December.

Wood, is facing misdemeanor charges for hit-and-run, leaving the scene, property damage and an unsafe movement infraction.

Wood was driving a state-issued vehicle when she crashed into a parked car in downtown Raleigh.

In a statement earlier this week she said it was a mistake she regrets.

According to the citation, the collision happened about 9 p.m. Dec. 8 on South Salisbury Street. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Raleigh police conducted an investigation.

The charging officer says there was probable cause to believe that Wood operated a Toyota at the scene of a collision in which she knew she was involved and failed to provide her name, address and other information, the citation says. It also appears Wood operated a vehicle while "failing to see before turning from a direct line that such movement could be made in safety," the citation reads.

The state auditor, one of 10 members of the North Carolina Council of State, performs financial reviews of state agencies, as well as performance audits and other studies sought by the General Assembly.

Wood was elected in 2008. She has been reelected three times, most recently in 2020. She previously worked in the auditor's office and state treasurer's office.