A surveillance video showing Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney without pants on is about to become public.
A judge has ordered the release of the video, which reportedly shows Carney inside Town Hall without trousers during a late-night incident in 2024.
The ruling comes after a lawsuit from WBTV seeking a copy of the video. The town had argued the footage should remain confidential, but a Superior Court judge on Wednesday said it was not part of a criminal investigation and must be released within five days.
Video of the March 2024 incident has generated months of controversy and multiple lawsuits in Mooresville.
Carney has said in media interviews that he returned to Town Hall to retrieve his phone and sober up after mixing alcohol and medications at a nearby party.
He said he was accompanied by a female communications consultant who he described as a family friend, and said he removed his pants at Town Hall after getting sick on them.
Police were called to the building after motion sensors were set off, where they found Carney around 4 a.m.
A former IT worker for the town has alleged in a lawsuit that he was fired after reporting the surveillance video days later to his superiors. A former assistant police chief and a former IT director have also filed lawsuits, claiming retaliation after raising concerns about the incident.
Last month, the Mooresville Board of Commissioners voted 4-2 to ask Carney to resign, saying the controversy had eroded public trust. The vote does not force him from office, and Carney has refused to step down.
Before the vote, Carney apologized for the impact of the situation on the community and his wife and children.
