The now-former sheriff of Columbus County, Jody Greene, resigned for a second time as he faced another court hearing to remove him from office. But District Attorney Jon David said a state criminal investigation continues into the former sheriff and deputies in the county.
Greene resigned for the first time in October after he was heard on leaked audio recordings making racist comments about his own deputies. An investigation found other accusations of misconduct and corruption in this rural county in the southeast corner of North Carolina.
“Sheriff Greene, by his behavior, shook the very foundations of that criminal justice system. It was deeply damaging, it was hurtful, and it required an immediate and measured response,” David said during a press conference Wednesday that was broadcast on social media by The News Reporter newspaper in Columbus County.
“Nothing about Jody Greene’s resignation today changes the fact that there is a comprehensive investigation which is ongoing, not just against Sheriff Greene, but deputies under his command,” he said, noting the State Bureau of Investigation’s public corruption unit is responsible for the investigation.
David did not comment on the specifics of the investigation, but made it clear that there was still the potential for more legal action in the case.
Greene’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
The district attorney said his office will need to review pending cases and past convictions. Prosecutors, he said, will do a “systematic review to ensure those investigations rest on a firm foundation.”
David asked defense attorneys in Columbus County to bring any issues with current or past cases to prosecutors for review.
It will be up to the Columbus County Commission members to appoint a sheriff to serve the four-year term. There is no provision in state law for a new sheriff election when something like this happens. In the meantime, Chief Deputy Kevin Norris will be acting sheriff, according to Commissioner Lavern Coleman.
Speaking on Wednesday, David said he hoped the commission would look at other counties that faced similar problems and had to replace their sheriffs.
“The best thing to do is to involve the entire community in that selection,” the district attorney said.
The swearing-in ceremony for Grene was delayed until Dec. 30 because of election complaints. The complaints accused Greene of being ineligible for the sheriff’s election because of the accusations of racism and misconduct.
The county board of elections and the state board dismissed the two complaints before Christmas, clearing the way for Greene to be sworn in.
The district attorney filed a motion with the court to remove Greene from office a second time on the same day Greene was sworn in. Both the district attorney and Greene are Republicans.
A judge suspended Greene from office in early October after the recorded 2019 phone call was made public in September. The recording was made by Jason Soles, the Democrat who ran for sheriff against Greene in the last election.
The first time Greene resigned came at the beginning of an Oct. 24 hearing that would have removed him from office. A ruling in that case could have also disqualified Greene from being sheriff again.
Greene apologized in a social media post when he resigned before the election, but said he would continue his campaign for a second term.
“This has been a humbling experience. I am sincerely sorry for the disrespectful and insensitive words that have offended my friends, colleagues, and fellow citizens. I ask for forgiveness,” Green said on Facebook the day he resigned.
“The allegations in the State's Petition and Amended Petition are not true. They were politically motivated,” he wrote. “Weaponizing the courts to attack, smear, or ruin those whom we disagree with politically is wrong. Political disagreements should be settled by the voters.”
Greene went on to win a second election Nov. 8 with 54% of the vote. The district attorney vowed to file a new motion with the court to remove the sheriff.
“The actions of Sheriff Jody Greene were disqualifying to anyone who would presume the high office of sheriff,” David said.
Court filings from the district attorney and the investigation by the SBI detail accusations of racism and misconduct by Greene.
It all began with the phone call that was made public in September. The recording was made in early 2019 of Greene using profane and racist language to talk about his own employees.
“I’m sick of it. I’m sick of these Black bastards. I’m gonna clean house and be done with it,” Greene said in the recording.
“Tomorrow’s gonna be a new f***ing day. I’m still the mother f***ing sheriff, and I will go up and fire every goddamn (inaudible). F*** them Black bastards,” he said in the recording, much of which is transcribed and included in the court files. “They think I’m scared? Time to clean them out. There’s a snitch in there somewhere.”
Greene was talking to Soles and his chief deputy in the call. At the time, Greene was suspended as sheriff while the State Board of Elections investigated a separate election complaint that accused Greene of living outside of the county.
In the 2018 Columbus County sheriff election, Greene won by just 37 votes, defeating Democratic incumbent Sheriff Lewis Hatcher. Greene became the first Republican elected sheriff of Columbus County. After an investigation, the State Board of Elections dismissed a complaint about that election, deciding that a recreational vehicle parked on his farm was his legal residence, the Associated Press reported at the time.
When the recording came out, the district attorney said he asked the SBI to begin an investigation. Then more accusations emerged.
As the SBI and the District Attorney’s Office began asking questions, others came forward with accusations of misconduct and abuse of power. Those allegations include arresting political opponents, having a romantic relationship with a subordinate, and problems at the jail.
One of the accusations came from Jason Lee Croom, stepfather of Soles, who ran as the Democrat for sheriff last year.
According to court filings, Croom told the then-sheriff he “needed to grow up” after a heated meeting of the Columbus County Commission in March 2020.
“Croom was immediately arrested by deputies,” the court filing states. “There was considerable delay at the magistrate’s office as deputies searched for a general statute that had been violated.”
Eventually, Croom was charged with disorderly conduct, but a judge threw out the charges three months later, court records show.
“I believe that Greene targeted me because he didn’t like for people to stand up to him, and that I am Jason Soles’ stepfather,” Croom said in an affidavit filed in the case to remove Greene.
The petition to remove Greene includes another case when deputies filed felony charges against Columbus County Commission member Giles “Buddy” Bird. The sheriff had threatened another county commissioner with similar charges, according to the petition.
An outside prosecutor found there was not enough evidence to pursue the charges against Byrd, according to the district attorney.
“Defendant’s true motivation in bringing criminal charges was to gain unfair leverage against all county commissioners, rather than solve a crime,” David said in the court filing.
The district attorney also accused Greene of “willful misconduct” in a case of assault at the Columbus County Detention Center.
State investigators found four guards at the jail did not see the assault and did not respond to it for about 20 minutes. The inmate asked guards to be moved to a different part of the jail before the assault. The attack left the inmate with severe brain injuries.
What happens next in Columbus County will be up to county commissioners, the SBI and the district attorney. The chief deputy will continue to lead the sheriff’s office until county leaders pick a new sheriff. The SBI and prosecutors will continue their investigation. Greene could still face more legal action, either criminal or civil.
“The road ahead is something that just takes time,” David said.