Granville sheriff issued gun permits before background checks came back, according to investigators

Internal investigators said Wilkins approved gun permits before mental health and competency checks came back, and there was a serious lack of policy and compliance in the agency's interdiction program, which is an illegal drug and money seizure program.

"The way those interdictions were conducted, first of all, created some very dangerous situations on the road," said Mike O'Leary, a member of the internal investigation commissioned by Granville County Attorney James Wrenn.

Suspended Granville sheriff facing more charges

Investigators also said that, during a review of 150 gun permits between 2015 to 2017, there were more than 100 permits issued before mental health competency checks came back.

Some of the gun permits were approved the day after submission, investigators added.

"We determined many instances where Sheriff Wilkins basically ignored the laws which require criminal and mental health checks to be completed before issuing handgun purchase permits," said Chuck Stuber, a retired FBI special agent and member of the internal investigation committee.

Last week, a Wake County grand jury indicted Wilkins on seven counts each of obtaining property by false pretense and obstruction of justice, finding that he doctored records about his in-service training and firearms training from 2012 to 2018 to maintain his state law enforcement certification.

But, after Noblin was implicated in one instance of falsified records, he resigned from the position last week.

Chief Deputy Chris Smoot was named interim sheriff after Noblin's resignation.

It was revealed during Monday's presentation of the internal investigation that, since 2011, there have been 42 firearms ordered to be destroyed, but none of them were. In fact, investigators said some of those guns still aren't accounted for.

Warrant: Little oversight of money flowing through Granville drug unit

Investigators also said multiple witness told them that, after a fire in 2011 in Granville County, law enforcement was called to secure a large sum of money. Witnesses said they saw Wilkins take what was believed to be more than $160,000 from the scene.

"We do not know what if what was deposited the next day was all the cash that was taken from that scene," said O'Leary.

Investigators noted that there have been significant improvements made in the Granville County Sheriff's Office since Wilkins left, including new policies for the drug interdiction program.

The sheriff's office has also repaired relations with other law enforcement agencies, including those at the federal level, according to investigators.