Wayne deputy on leave after FBI searched his home

A Wayne County deputy has been placed on leave after the FBI searched his home.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office confirmed agents searched the home of Deputy Charles Shaeffer on Tuesday.

A department spokesperson said Shaeffer was placed on administrative leave after the search.

WRAL News called Shaeffer, who declined to comment on the search of his home but said he was not aware of any active charges against him.

The search comes as the FBI has been investigating alleged corruption in the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for more than a year, leaving some residents concerned.

WRAL News asked the Wayne County Sheriff's Office if the search was connected to the FBI investigation from 2022.

A spokesperson said the sheriff's office hadn't been given a reason for the search and directed WRAL News to the FBI.

WRAL is still awaiting a response.

WRAL News first reported on the federal investigation in May 2022. At the time, the sheriff's office confirmed the investigation was ongoing, calling it "a federal investigation involving old cases that were handled by a prior employee."

A neighbor, Freddie Davis, witnessed FBI's search of the deputy's home along East New Hope Road.

"There was a whole lot of people all over the place," Davis said. "I just went back in my house and stayed out of the way."