State News

Raeford police chief resigns suddenly amid lawsuit

A small North Carolina town has again seen its police chief resign under a cloud.

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RAEFORD, N.C. — A small North Carolina town has again seen its police chief resign under a cloud.

Raeford Police Chief Duncan Edward Jaggers resigned suddenly Monday. Mayor John McNeill would not say why.

Jaggers said his resignation was not prompted by a federal lawsuit accusing him and other officers with using excessive force while he was a law officer in the Harnett County town of Coats. Jaggers was named Raeford police chief in June.

The girlfriend of one of Jaggers' predecessors as police chief was shot to death last summer. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether her death in the Raeford home she shared with Kevin Locklear was a suicide or homicide.

Locklear had been fired as Raeford's chief in 2007 after charges he assaulted his estranged wife.

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