Lawsuit says former Rolesville police chief groped officer days before committing suicide

A former Rolesville police officer has sued the town, alleging that former Police Chief Bobby Langston II touched him inappropriately during a training session in Charlotte, days before the chief died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court by Nicholas Zappia, asks for unspecified damages to cover the officer’s emotional distress, humiliation, violated civil rights, punitive damages and any other relief.

“The actions of Defendant Langston ... were sufficiently severe and pervasive so as to unreasonably interfere with the Plaintiff’s physical health, work performance, and so to create an intimidating, hostile and offensive working environment,” said the federal lawsuit, filed by Raleigh attorneys Jessie Jeffers and Kimberly Moore.

Mayor Frank Eagles had no comment Thursday and referred questions to Town Attorney David York, who could not be immediately reached.

In the suit, Zappia, now 26, said he told the chief he wanted to be a police officer in November 2015, and that Langston offered him a $300 scholarship to attend basic training and arranged for a hiring freeze to be lifted.

Zappia became a sworn officer in August 2016 and attended training in Charlotte the following March, when they stayed in the same hotel room — a town policy for employees of the same sex, the suit said.

Zappia agreed to sleep on the couch, the suit said, but after dinner and alcoholic drinks Langston told him they could share the bed with a pillow between their heads. After going to the restroom in the night, the suit said, Langston returned to bed and grabbed Zappia’s penis three times.

“Plaintiff feared repercussions,” the suit said, “so he remained in bed but did not sleep that night.”

The chief apologized the next morning, the suit said, and Zappia told him he would return home and resign, getting a ride from Charlotte with his fiancee. Back in Rolesville, the suit said, he was instructed to file a written complaint.

In late March 2017, officers found Langston dead of a gunshot wound in his home. A woman who called 911 said he left a note, which was not disclosed, and Wake Forest police ruled the death a suicide.

Langston’s law enforcement career spanned more than two decades, beginning in Wendell. He joined Rolesville’s force in 2013 and rose to chief two years later.

At the time of his death, the town lowered flags to half-staff and shut Town Hall for several days. A news release at the time called him “admired and respected.”

“He stood for character and ethics and ran the department likewise,” the 2017 release said. “He will truly be missed.”

Along with emotional distress, the lawsuit said Zappia was denied his right to work in a harassment-free workplace. The town failed to train employees about grievances or inform Zappia about the outcome of its own, the suit said. Also, the suit said Rolesville’s policy of requiring same-sex employees to share a room contributed to the officer’s battery.

Josh Shaffer: 919-829-4818, @joshshaffer08

This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 9:59 AM.