The NC sheriff who quit after a judge suspended him? He won re-election.

Jody Greene, the first Republican sheriff of Columbus County, beat his election challenger, Jason Soles, in an unprecedented and bitter race.

Even though he is under criminal investigation and a judge recently suspended him from office, Greene received 54% of the vote, unofficial results show.

Greene’s campaign took to Facebook to celebrate, posting the words “Thank you all!!!!!!” over a green background. His supporters responded with rows of green hearts.

The race was contentious even by the standards of this stretch of rural southeastern North Carolina known for its bare-knuckled politics.

“A lot of you was harassed, a lot of you was threatened, a lot of you was bullied, and I’m sorry,” Soles told a room of about 50 supporters after the final precinct reported its votes.

“I’m sorry that this journey could not have been more pleasant than it was, but I’m really hoping and praying that this does open the eyes of some people in this county.

A little more than a month ago, District Attorney Jon David filed paperwork to have Greene stripped of his office.

David, who like Greene is a Republican, first cited Greene’s racist remarks in a recorded phone call as grounds for removing him. He soon expanded the accusations to include sexual harassment, intimidation of other elected officials, insufficient oversight of the jail and vindictive arrests.

In response to David’s petition, Superior Court Judge Douglas Sasser suspended Greene, who later resigned but continued to campaign.

Greene has denied the allegations against him, calling them smears, and the county GOP stood by him.

But David promised that if Greene won reelection, he would seek to remove him from office again.

2018 election results disputed

The friction between Greene and Soles dates to the aftermath of the last election.

Voting results were in limbo for months due to a margin of less than 40 votes and allegations that Greene did not meet residency requirements. Greene also faced allegations that a political operative working for his campaign had unlawfully handled mail-in ballots.

In the 2018 election, Greene ran against Lewis Hatcher, the county’s first African-American sheriff, who had been appointed, then elected four years before. Soles worked for Hatcher overseeing criminal investigations.

Greene took control of the sheriff’s office before the election was certified. In response, Hatcher sued, arguing that he remained sheriff until the election disputes were resolved.

As part of a deal ending that lawsuit, Soles was named the man in charge, though the man Greene hired to be his chief deputy also claimed that mantle.

In February 2019, Soles received a late-night call from Greene, according to an affidavit submitted to the court as part of the petition to remove Greene from office.

After Greene said he hated Democrats, especially Black Democrats, Soles decided to record the call, the document states. In a profane rant, Greene went on to liken some Black deputies to snakes and called them “Black bastards.”

He vowed to comb through phone records to identify deputies who had talked with Hatcher or another Black deputy. “Every Black that I know, you need to fire him,” Greene said, according to the recording.

The State Board of Elections certified the results of the 2018 election in May 2019, overturning the county election board’s finding that Greene did not meet residency requirements.

The political operative, McCrae Dowless, along with several people working for him, faced criminal charges for his work in Bladen County, but not in Columbus.

Dowless died before the charges were resolved. Charges against others allegedly involved in the scheme, including Lisa Britt, who worked on behalf of Greene in Columbus County, remain pending.

Soles resigned about two months after Greene’s victory was made official, records show. But his trouble with Greene followed him to his next job.

The first day Soles reported to work as a Whiteville police officer, Greene called the city manager, threatening to arrest Soles and impound his car if he ever set foot on jail property again, the city manager said in an affidavit.

Soles resigned. But after Greene arrested his stepfather in 2020 for telling the then-sheriff to “grow up,” Soles shared the phone call recording he had made with others. He played it for two county commissioners, he said in an affidavit, and sat for an interview with the SBI.

The following year, he announced his bid for sheriff.

Claims of intimidation

Soles’ supporters, particularly African Americans, have complained about behavior by Greene’s supporters that they perceive as intimidating since the beginning of the election season.

People who attended Soles campaign kick-off party were stopped by sheriff’s deputies, multiple county residents told The News & Observer.

Franklin Thurman said in an affidavit that Greene’s chief deputy personally flagged him down and asked him where he was going.

Another supporter said a sheriff’s office helicopter flew over her home during a campaign event she hosted.

And a man who said he organized a voter registration drive told The News & Observer some people who lived nearby asked him to cancel it because they feared Greene’s supporters would shoot at their homes.

One Soles supporter took out misdemeanor warrants accusing two of Greene’s most vociferous supporters of assault and communicating threats, the Columbus County News reported.

One Greene supporter, the same outlet reported, received a bomb threat.

At least one poll worker has reported intimidating behavior. The person was reportedly followed from the polling site to a local elections office and then to their home, The News & Observer previously reported.

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 9:10 PM.