Former deputies sue Wake sheriff who fired them

WRAL Investigates first interviewed former Master Deputy Gray Speight and former Master Deputy Steven Williamson in early 2019, not long after their dismissals.

They say they were fired by Sheriff Gerald Baker for reporting inappropriate comments made by a supervisor during a sensitivity training class in 2017. That supervisor was demoted for the comments by then-Sheriff Donnie Harrison, but promoted when Baker took office in 2018.

Speight and Williamson detailed their firings to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which determined they had the right to sue. The two former deputies are seeking back pay, projected future pay and damages.

During our initial investigation, WRAL News obtained internal sheriff's office investigative notes regarding the 2017 sessions led by then-Lt. Teddy Patrick.

According to the internal investigation, Patrick signaled to deputies he didn't like gay people – he thought being gay was wrong – but said he could work with them.

Speight and Williamson told us they also recalled Patrick saying that if he went to a man's house and the man was wearing a dress, he wouldn't be going inside.

"It was very unprofessional being that he was a lieutenant and a teacher," Williamson said.

"He was making statements that were just inappropriate," Speight agreed.

Following Williamson's firing, Patrick personally escorted him out of the building. "Almost like it was in your face, 'I'll show you,'" Williamson told us when describing that day back in 2019.

Responding to WRAL Investigates' reporting at the time, Sheriff Baker acknowledged Patrick's insensitive comments, but denied the firings were retaliatory.

We reached out to the Sheriff's Office today for their response to the lawsuit. Spokesman Eric Curry says the sheriff hasn't received the lawsuit yet and isn't commenting on pending litigation.