NC sheriff suspended from office after making racist comments about deputies
A North Carolina judge suspended the Columbus County sheriff at the request of the local district attorney, who has condemned the sheriff for making racist statements about deputies in his department.
The rare move follows a local TV station last week publishing a recording where Sheriff Jody Greene calls some deputies “Black bastards.”
Superior Court Judge Douglas Sasser suspended Greene on Tuesday, said Jon David, district attorney for Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus counties.
Earlier that day, David filed a motion to have Greene suspended immediately. David has also filed a petition to remove Greene permanently, he said in an email on Tuesday evening. A hearing on that request is scheduled for later this month.
The district attorney last week asked the State Bureau of Investigation to launch an obstruction of justice probe focused on Greene in response to the recording.
On Monday, David wrote a letter to Greene urging him to resign. In his letter David pointed out that Greene was required to disclose to trial judges “any conduct that may call into question either your veracity or ability to impartially uphold the law on racial grounds.
“There can be no question that the use of racist language, directed at all officers of color under your command, is conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, which brings the Office of Sheriff into disrepute,” David wrote.
Located in the southeastern corner of the state just outside Wilmington, Columbus County is home to 50,000 people — about a third of them Black or multiracial.
“Even though the sheriff has been suspended, it’s really not a celebration time,” said the Rev. Andy Anderson Tuesday night at a meeting hosted by the Columbus County branch of the NAACP.
Anderson and other leaders called on the standing room-only crowd to go to the polls.
Both David and Greene, who is running for re-election this year, are Republicans.
Greene posted a long defense on Facebook last week, suggesting that the recording had been altered, but he did not deny making the remarks. On Thursday, he assured his supporters on Facebook that he would not resign.
“I will continue to serve no matter the allegations or rumors,” he wrote.
The audio was recorded by Greene’s opponent in the November election, Jason Soles, reported WECT, a Wilmington-based TV station. Soles served as acting sheriff at the time of the call, in February 2019, due to a dispute over who won the 2018 sheriff’s election.
After the NAACP meeting, Anderson said, “We want our leadership to say unequivocally, ‘That’s not us.’ You weren’t elected by your liability coverage.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2022 at 6:53 PM.
