BURGAW, N.C. (AP) — A Pender County sheriff's deputy has been fired after being suspected of drunken driving following an accident in a marked patrol car in Onslow County.

The sheriff's office said 911 dispatchers began receiving calls Tuesday morning about a patrol car driving erratically on U.S. 17. While searching for the car, the N.C. Highway Patrol called to say the car was involved in an accident in Onslow County.

Sheriff's office Capt. J.T. Hock said Deputy William Paluck was charged with driving while impaired, failure to reduce speed to avoid colliding with a vehicle and reckless driving.

Hock said Paluck was taken to the hospital and hadn't yet been booked into the county jail Tuesday afternoon. The captain said Paluck had been with the sheriff's office since December 2009.