Driving a tourist out to release in Castle Hayne, about as far from Wrightsville Beach as you can get and still be within the jurisdiction, sounds like a final act of vindictiveness that has a pat quality to it, too, sort of like the husband getting pulled over on the way had a pat quality to it.
I’ll bet internal investigation will encounter prior incidents along these lines. Castle Hayne is definitely not your touristy type of place, despite the sort of charming name. It’s kind of grubby, not an especially nice place, pretty far removed from the beaches and the nice parts of Wilmington, the riverfront, etcetera.
It would have been an ordeal for the woman, with no car and no husband to pick her up. Probably couldn’t even get a cab out there. Which would have been the intent, if I’m reading the situation correctly.