Selma Police Arrest Driver After Flat Tire Draws Attention

SELMA, N.C. — A flat tire — and eventually a missing wheel — led to the arrest of a Smithfield woman early Saturday morning in Selma.

Around 12:40 a.m. on May 2, a Selma police officer spotted a 2018 Kia traveling northbound on U.S. 301 (Pollock Street) with a flat front tire. The officer initially believed the driver may have been heading toward a nearby convenience store to use an air pump.

Approximately 10 minutes later, the same officer saw the vehicle again — this time traveling southbound — with the tire completely off the rim.

The officer initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver as Renee Kimberly Brenner, 55, of Brazil Nut Lane in Smithfield.

According to police, the Kia displayed a Florida license plate that Brenner allegedly admitted was fictitious, telling officers she had taken it from a relative’s vehicle after her own plate had been stolen.

During the stop, officers reported finding a cloth bag containing a small amount of suspected marijuana, along with a grinder and a glass pipe.

Police said Brenner failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody on suspicion of driving while impaired. She later registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Brenner was charged with driving while impaired, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, open container of alcohol, and driving while license revoked. She was issued a warning for fictitious registration.

Her bond was set at $3,000. The vehicle was impounded.