According to a recent report Sheriff Bill Watson filed a felony eluding charge against the Portsmouth mayor on January 13, after the mayor evaded a traffic stop on Tuesday.
Sheriff Watson says Mayor Kenny Wright could have been put in jail but he just wanted to issue him a ticket for driving with an expired inspection sticker “as I would have for any other citizen” he said. The inspection was 7-months overdue for renewal.
When he respectfully approached the car in the garage where it was parked and flagged the mayor to stop so he could issue the citation the Mayor refused. “Hold up right there. I said, hold up right there!”
Kenny continued to drive out of the parking garage and accelerated the gas, driving the vehicle out onto the street.
“He thinks he’s above the law…” Watson said while getting back into his own car.
Sheriff Watson took chase after Mayor Wright, down Crawford Street to High Street, and came to a halt along Effingham Street. Watson pulled up behind Kenny at a stop sign, got out, and asked for the documents again. The mayor pulled away aggressively according the dash cam recording.
Watson called for police backup and several Portsmouth police joined the chase surrounding the mayor’s car while he was issued his citation.
The mayor is scheduled to be in court on February 24.
The rivalry between these two is said to continue over elections and the funding of the local jail which Mayor Wright and the City Council agreed to cut a million dollars in funding to Sheriff Watson’s budget.
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