Corruption Coverage

Former Granville County sheriff pleads not guilty to falsifying training records

Brindell Wilkins pleaded not guilty to charges he helped falsify firearms training records that are required for law enforcement certification.

WRAL Staff

Public discussion gets heated as people express anger over current Johnston County board member

Tensions were running high at the Johnston County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night as people expressed both frustration and support for embattled school board member and suspended Smithfield police officer Ronald Johnson.

Complaint: NC attorney, judge known for handing out lenient sentences to reckless drivers

A group of Cabarrus County defense attorneys are filing a complaint about injustices in the county's traffic court.

Nate Morabito (WCNC)

Complaint alleges NC judge, attorney of handing out light sentences to speeding drivers

An estimated 20 defense attorneys are expected to file a "notice of concern" with the North Carolina State Bar and state investigative agencies this week after WCNC Charlotte uncovered unequal justice at the Cabarrus County Courthouse.

Ex-Detective Admits Misleading Judge Who Approved Breonna Taylor Raid

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A former police detective admitted Tuesday that she had helped mislead a judge into wrongly authorizing a raid of Breonna Taylor’s apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, setting in motion the nighttime operation in which police fatally shot Taylor.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times

Mexican court issues 83 arrest warrants related to the disappearance of 43 students

A court in Mexico on Friday ordered the arrest warrants of 83 people allegedly involved in the 2014 disappearance of 43 students, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

By Marlon Sorto, CNN

Wayne County cooperating with FBI as they investigate sheriff's office

Law enforcement sources in Wayne County tell WRAL News that the FBI are investigating the sheriff, current deputies and private businesses tied to former deputies.

Keenan Willard, WRAL eastern North Carolina reporter

NC police chief facing dozens of criminal charges arrested in Horry County

Anthony Spivey, the former Chadbourn police chief who was the subject of a search along the Lumber River this week, was arrested in South Carolina early Thursday morning.

Former Granville deputy will serve jail time for falsifying records

A Granville County deputy was convicted Thursday of 12 counts of obstruction of justice for falsifying years of firearms training records. However, a jury acquitted him of 12 counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. He'll serve five months behind bars and then 24 months under supervised release.

Man arrested by fired Raleigh police officer wants conviction overturned

A man jailed for more than three years for allegedly selling cocaine to a confidential informant claims drug evidence was planted on him by a detective recently fired by Raleigh police.

Granville deputy convicted for falsifying records

A former Granville County deputy was convicted today of 12 counts of obstruction of justice for falsifying years of firearms training records. However, a jury acquitted him of 12 counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. In court, Chad Coffey didn't dispute he falsified years of firearms training records, but his attorneys argued it wasn't a crime.

Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter

Former Granville sheriff delivers suprising testimony

Former Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins testified in defense of former deputy Chad Coffey who is on trial for falsifying records about firearms training for members of the sheriff's department

Former sheriff defends Granville deputy at his corruption trial

Former Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins' testimony and presence in court came as a surprise to some, given that he faces a trial of his own.

Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter

Judge allows Wake DA to stay on Granville corruption case, despite conflict claim

The case against a former Granville County sheriff's deputy will be prosecuted by Wake DA Lorrin Freeman.

Judge: No conflict of interest yet. Former deputy's trial will go on

Despite claims of prosecutor conflict, the trial against a former Granville County sheriff's deputy will go on. It's a corruption case that the WRAL Investigates team has covered<a href="https://www.wral.com/questions-about-granville-drug-unit-operations-date-back-years/18738461/"> since 2019 involving dozens of charges and multiple defendants</a>, including the former sheriff.

Cullen Browder, WRAL reporter

Indicted deputy sees conflict when DAs discuss his case

A former Granville County deputy facing corruption charges wants the case charges dropped over what he considers a conflict of interest.

Former Granville deputy claims DAs' text messages conflict of interest in corruption investigation

A former Granville County deputy facing corruption charges wants the case charges dropped over what he considers a conflict of interest.

Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter

New 2022 laws boost training, oversight, support

New state laws taking effect January 1, 2022 address law enforcement training, local government corruption, firefighter cancer and health care.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief

Fact check: 'No basis' for Kamala Harris stat about corruption

For more than a decade, an interesting statistic about the cost of corruption has been bouncing around the global-economics community, showing up in statements and reports from organizations like the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. Most recently, it came out of the mouth of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Miriam Valverde, PolitiFact reporter

Former Chadbourn police chief charged with scheme to steal guns from evidence and resell to family, friends

A former Chadbourn chief of police faces 88 felony charges after he was indicted in a scheme to steal guns from evidence and resell them.

Rocky Mount councilman defends actions cited in state audit; council approves corrective actions

The Rocky Mount City Council had an emergency meeting Tuesday to respond to a state audit that showed city officials bent or broke rules to help each other and left taxpayers on the hook.

Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter

Rocky Mount City Council votes for corrective actions in emergency meeting in wake of audit

WRAL's Bryan Mims has the latest on an emergency-called meeting by the Rocky Mount City Council on Tuesday in response to the audit done and the allegations that came from it.

Lawmaker says state audit targeted black officials in Rocky Mount

A councilman should resign, the city manager should repay her improper spending and the City Council should sign a pledge to do right by Rocky Mount taxpayers, Mayor Sandy Roberson said Monday.

Mayor calls on Rocky Mount officials singled out in state audit to correct misdeeds

A councilman should resign, the city manager should repay her improper spending and the City Council should sign a pledge to do right by Rocky Mount taxpayers, Mayor Sandy Roberson said Monday.

Matthew Burns, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor

Rocky Mount mayor discusses state audit

Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson discusses how he and city leaders can earn back the trust of residents in the wake of a state audit that found city officials bent various rules to benefit themselves.