Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' top communications officer faces a driving-while-impaired charge after police stopped him at a checkpoint Thursday, Sept. 24.

Stephen Esposito, 46, the district's chief of strategic communications and engagement, was stopped at a license and safety checkpoint on Idlewild Road near Interstate 485 around 10:30 p.m. The arrest was first reported by WSOC-TV.

A breath-alcohol test registered 0.11.

North Carolina's legal limit is 0.08.

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer wrote in an affidavit that Esposito had a strong odor of alcohol and red, glassy eyes, and that he acknowledged drinking, WFAE reported. The officer said Esposito performed poorly on field sobriety tests and provided two positive breath tests.

Esposito was booked into the Mecklenburg County Detention Center and given a $2,500 unsecured bond, according to QC News. He was released Friday morning, Sept. 25, WBTV reported.

The district said in a statement that the incident was unrelated to district operations or school activities and that it could not share further details because of state personnel confidentiality laws. WFAE reported that Esposito did not respond to its inquiries.

Esposito sits on the nine-member superintendent's cabinet. His arrest comes during a period of leadership upheaval at North Carolina's second-largest school district that has direct consequences for families in the north Mecklenburg zone served by Hough, North Mecklenburg and Hopewell high schools.

The CMS Board of Education voted 5-4 on Tuesday, Sept. 22, to fire Superintendent Crystal Hill without cause. Hill was the district's seventh superintendent in 15 years, according to WFAE. Under her contract, the termination triggers roughly $340,000 in severance. Combined with the cost of an outside investigation that found no evidence of improper conduct by Hill, taxpayers face a bill exceeding $700,000, QC News reported.

Board member Monty Witherspoon, who voted against the firing, told WCNC Charlotte on Sept. 23 that the vote was "a betrayal of public trust."

Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight was named acting superintendent. She is scheduled to retire Jan. 1, 2027. Four of the cabinet's nine members have announced plans to leave the district, according to WFAE.

District Attorney Spencer Merriweather has requested a state criminal investigation into financial irregularities at CMS. State Auditor Dave Boliek visited district headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and said his office was coordinating with the State Bureau of Investigation.

The board is scheduled to hold a special virtual meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, with one action item: approving the charter for a superintendent search committee.