Former Granville Sheriff's fall continues with latest plea deal on six criminal charges

Former Granville County sheriff Brindell Wilkins pleaded guilty Wednesday to four felony counts of obstruction of justice and two misdemeanors for failure to discharge duties. The charges stem from an incident in 2014 in which Wilkins was accused of urging someone to kill a deputy he thought was about to expose his alleged use of racially offensive language.

Wilkins was indicted five years later on two counts of obstruction of justice. The grand jury indictment stated that he told someone to kill former Deputy Joshua Freeman, telling the person to "take care of it" and "the only way you gonna stop him is kill him." The indictment also alleged that the sheriff then withheld knowledge of a threat against Freeman.

The charges marked the beginning of the end for Wilkins as sheriff. He initially took office in 2009 and stopped serving in 2019.

In December, he was convicted of obtaining property by false pretense and obstruction of justice related to allegations that he doctored records about his in-service training and firearms training from 2012 to 2018 to maintain state certification for himself and his staff.

Wilkins was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, he’s incarcerated at Pamlico Correctional Institution. He’s being held in protective control, likely because of his past as a law enforcement officer. He was expected to be released in September 2024 on those charges. The judge estimated Wilkins' sentence would extend, then, about six months beyond his current sentence. He said the exact timing will be determined at a later date.

However, with today’s plea deal, Wilkins will not get out in 2024. The misdemeanors will not add any additional jail time, but Special Superior Court Judge Craig Croom sentenced Wilkins to between 8 and 19 months for the felonies. That penalty will be served in addition to his current sentence.

“One thing I always say is with great power comes great responsibility," Croom said on Wednesday. “It's just when you go out here and plot to have someone killed, that's the issue. that is big."

The legal trouble may not be over for Wilkins. Earlier this year, WRAL Investigates uncovered search warrants that show agents with the State Bureau of Investigation searched his farm in Oxford and found various vehicles and equipment confiscated from Granville County crime scenes there. Some of the equipment dates to crimes committed years ago. Wilkins has not been charged in connection to those findings.

"The main thing, I think, is they can't vote Brin out," said supporter Mark Coates. "If this stuff had not happened, Brin would be the Sheriff until the day he died. He could get elected back today. We could get him elected back today."

Supporters filled the courtroom, prompting comments from the judge on how he had never seen so much support. At one point, Wilkins turned back to those in attendance to wave and give a thumbs up.

State and federal agents also investigated the Granville Sheriff’s drug unit and found, among other things, deputies weren’t keeping track of how much money was paid to informants.

Former Sergeant Chad Coffey was eventually charged with three counts each of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to deliver cocaine and two counts each of embezzlement and altering or destroying evidence. Those cases are pending. Coffey already spent five months in prison for his role in falsifying firearms training records. In that case, Coffey contended he was not guilty because he was simply following the directions of then-boss Sheriff Wilkins.