Former NC jail captain accused of sexually assaulting woman in custody

A Vance County Sheriff’s Office captain faces nine charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman while she was locked in the jail.

Capt. Shannon Holley’s nine charges include second-degree rape, assault on a female, and sexual activity by a custodian, according to the indictment posted Monday. The indictment outlines offenses that occurred on four dates between Feb. 27 and March 6.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame told The News & Observer that Holley was a captain overseeing the jail.

The indictment follows the State Bureau of Investigation launching an investigation at the request of Brame’s office on March 9, according to a news release from District Attorney Mike Waters.

Brame suspended Holley, of Zebulon, without pay the same day as the launch of the investigation, Brame said. Holley, who started working in Vance in August 2025, resigned on March 21.

Waters said in the release that he appreciates the collaboration between his office and the SBI.

“First and foremost, I appreciate the courage displayed by the victim in reporting the incidents,” Waters said.

The indictment says that Holley assaulted the woman by forcing his tongue down her throat on Feb. 27. Court documents indicate the woman was 34 years old. On March 4 and March 5, he engaged in a sex offense against her will while he was a jail custodian, it states. On March 6, Holley engaged in sexual intercourse with the woman, the indictment states.

Holley previously worked as a detention officer in Johnston County, according to North Carolina law enforcement certification information.

The Johnston Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately return a phone message left by an N&O reporter Monday evening.

This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 4:19 PM.