Wilson’s Mills, North Carolina

Wilson's Mills, North Carolina is in Johnston County, with 1,291 residents (U.S. Census 2000). While Wilson's Mills is one of Johnston County's smallest towns at present, growth is expected due to the proposed U.S. 70 bypass of Clayton. Wilson's Mills is located about 20 miles from Raleigh, the state capitol, and 5.3 miles from Smithfield, the county seat.

The completion of the 223-mile North Carolina Railroad in 1856 gave rise to a thriving industrial village at Wilson's Mills. Wilson’s Mills, NC was named in honor of John Marshall Wilson, who, along with his family, operated a large millwork operation that included a gristmill and a cotton gin. Wilson’s Mills has the distinction of being chartered on two separate occasions. First chartered in 1927, Wilson’s Mills was an inactive municipality and surrendered its charter in 1971. The town was re-chartered in 1995.

Wilson's Mills Elementary School, administered by the Johnston County Schools, provides public education in Wilson's Mills. The district serves over 32,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade--a student population that has doubled in the past 15 years. The closest college for Wilson's Mills residents is the Johnston Community College in Smithfield.

Travel connections along I-95 and I-40 make all of Johnston County easily accessible to Wilson's Mills’ residents. Motorists from the town need to avoid speeding along the busy I-95 and I-40 corridors in Johnston County, North Carolina, as driving 15 miles per hour over the posted speed limit or in excess of 70 mph is an offense subject to arrest.

The Wilson's Mills Police Department, established in 2006, provides professional law enforcement services to the town, including enforcing the Town of Wilson's Mill's traffic laws and the curfew for juveniles.

According to DrinkingAndDriving.Org, 79 people per 10,000 are arrested for DUI in Johnston County, NC annually. The nonprofit organization gave Johnston County a “D” grade for the number of drunk driving citations given annually. Grades are based on the average yearly number of DUI arrests per 10,000 people, with an “A” grade representing 0-22 DUI arrests per 10,000 people each year.

In Wilson's Mills, North Carolina, you'll find two trial courts that hear criminal cases: the Superior Court and District Court. Wilson's Mills utilizes the Johnston County Courthouse, located at 207 East Johnston Street in Smithfield. If you're confused about the terms you hear in court, you may find this listing of criminal law terms helpful.

The State Superior Court is divided into eight divisions and 46 districts. This trial court hears felony criminal cases, as well as misdemeanor and infraction appeals from District Court. The Superior Court hears civil cases where more than $10,000 is in controversy. North Carolina District Courts are divided into four categories: civil, criminal, juvenile, and magistrate. Like the Superior Court, the District Court sits in the county seat. Civil cases involving less than $10,000 are heard in District Court, as are divorce, custody, and child support matters. The District Court also hears criminal matters involving misdemeanors, infractions without a jury and juvenile cases. A magistrate system is used to take guilty pleas in minor misdemeanors and traffic violations.

The Court of Appeals in Raleigh is NC's only intermediate appellate court. Fifteen judges sit in rotating panels of three, deciding questions of law on every case appealed from the Superior and District courts with the exception of death penalty cases. Appeals can range from a parking ticket case to a murder case. Cases where there is a dissent in the Court of Appeals go to the Supreme Court, as do those that the Supreme Court accepts for review through petition. Court of Appeals judges serve eight-year terms.

The Supreme Court of North Carolina, located in Raleigh, is the state's highest court and there is no further appeal in the state from its decisions. This court has a chief justice and six associate justices who sit together as a panel. The Supreme Court has no jury and makes no determination of fact; rather, it considers error in legal procedures or in judicial interpretation of the law.