Guilford County Vice Deputy Arrested in Burlington with .24 BAC

A Guilford County Sheriff’s Office deputy assigned to Vice and Narcotics was arrested by Burlington Police after registering a 0.24 blood alcohol concentration, three times North Carolina’s 0.08 legal limit. The arrest took place on Jan. 16 and the deputy, Lenaira Montea Ruffin, was charged with Driving While Impaired and released from Alamance County custody on a $2,500 cash bond paid by the defendant.

Ruffin, 30, of Burlington, has a court date scheduled for March 17 in Alamance County District Court. Court records show the breath test result and the charge filed by Burlington Police. Ruffin joined the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office a little over a year ago and had been assigned to the Vice and Narcotics unit. A former law enforcement official familiar with Ruffin’s trajectory said she rose through the ranks in "record time." Ruffin previously studied at Elon University, where she played on the basketball team and was an honor student.

The arrest comes against a backdrop of departmental discipline changes. A Sept. 23, 2024 memo from Sheriff Danny Rogers established new internal standards for employees charged with driving while impaired. Under the policy, a first DWI that results in a sustained internal investigation triggers a divisional-level reprimand, two years of probation, ten consecutive days off without pay, and a requirement to attend and complete an alcohol treatment program such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Employees assigned a county vehicle are to be reassigned to a position without a vehicle while their criminal case is pending. The memo warns that a subsequent DWI after a prior conviction will lead to termination, noting that DWI is a "very serious offense" and that "two DWIs will not be tolerated moving forward."

There have been previous DWIs involving Guilford County Sheriff’s Office deputies and non-sworn staff, and the sheriff’s office does not impose automatic dismissal for a first offense. The current case will likely trigger an internal investigation to determine whether the disciplinary standards are sustained and what personnel actions follow. If Ruffin is found to have a prior DWI conviction, the policy directs termination after a sustained investigation.

For local residents, the case underscores questions of accountability and public trust in officers who enforce traffic and criminal laws. The immediate next steps are the Alamance County court proceedings on March 17 and an internal review by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. How those processes resolve will determine both legal consequences for Ruffin and any departmental discipline that affects staffing and operations in the Vice and Narcotics unit.