RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A Wake County candidate who ran, and won, a judge seat in 2020, who was later ruled ineligible, was arrested Friday, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office said.
Timothy Anthony Gunther (D), who ran for an open district judge seat in 2020, and won 10F by more than 10,000 votes, but was later deemed ineligible, was arrested for felony obstruction of justice and false filing during his campaign for judge, district attorney Lorrin Freeman confirmed.
Wake County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Eric Curry confirmed the arrest Saturday morning, but said he could not confirm the official reason.
The Wake County Board of Elections agreed there was substantial evidence to cast doubt on Gunther’s residency. They found he was not eligible to be a candidate for the seat.
CBS 17’s Steve Sbraccia previously covered this story who confirmed Gunther registered as a resident of Fuquay-Varina, but actually lived in Cary. The Fuquay-Varina residence was owned by his ex-wife and daughter, while the Cary address was the only one with his name.
Gunther (D) beat out Beth Tanner (R) by more than 12 percentage points for the open District 10F seat, but would not serve.
Freeman said Gunther has been released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.