The North Carolina Bar Association has suspended a Charlotte-area workers' compensation and personal injury attorney from practice for five years after his third arrest on drunken driving charges, the bar announced this week.

James Goard, of Mount Holly, can ask for reinstatement after two years.

He was arrested in 2009, 2015 and again in 2016 for allegedly driving under the influence. When police arrived after the 2015 car accident in which Goard's car struck a utility pole and knocked down power lines, Goard asked the officer what state he was in, according to a news report.

The Bar Association also disciplined Goard for misrepresenting the facts in the 2016 crash, and for lying to a client in a personal injury case. Goard also conducted legal work while he was previously suspended, the bar said.

He must now obtain a mental health evaluation and must refrain from drinking during his suspension, the disciplinary order reads.