NEWTON, N.C. -- State investigators are looking into a sheriff candidate in North Carolina after an ex-girlfriend said he put a tracking device on her vehicle.

• An ex-girlfriend says Jason Reid put a tracking device on her vehicle
• Reid says this allegation is a smear campaign
• Reid is running sheriff of Catawba County

The State Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant Thursday at the Catawba County Sheriff's Office in a case involving Jason Reid.

Reid is a former narcotics officer at the agency and is running for Catawba County sheriff in the May 8 Republican primary.

Reid's ex-girlfriend told the sheriff in Lincoln County that she found a tracking device on her vehicle after Reid texted her several times, mentioning her location. Local authorities turned the case over to the SBI.

Reid says the allegations are a smear campaign. He didn't want to talk about his relationship with the woman, only saying it has been over for some time.