'Trumped-up charges' filed against former Granville deputy

HAPPENED, WRAL NEWS AT 6

STARTS NOW.

>> THIS IS WRAL NEWS, YOUR

NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR LOCAL

NEWS.

>>> SHERIFF WILKINS IS

ENTITLED TO A PRESUMPTION OF

INNOCENCE.

>> ELECTED TO UPHOLD THE LAW

AND INVESTIGATORS SAY THE

GRANVILLE COUNTY SHARE WAS

PLOTTING TO BREAK IT.

THE COURT PAPERS ACCUSED THE

SHERIFF OF PLOTTING TO MURDER A

DEPUTY.

RIGHT NOW ON WRAL WE HAVE

UNCOVERED ADDITIONAL

ALLEGATIONS THAT THE SHERIFF'S

OFFICE CONTINUE TO TARGET THE

SAME DEPUTY.

WE'VE BEEN TRACKING THE STORY

AROUND THE CLOCK SINCE IT BROKE

LAST NIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>>> I AM DAVID CRABTREE.

BACK LAST NIGHT WE RECEIVED THE

GRAND JURY INDICTMENT LAYING

OUT THE CHARGES AGAINST SHERIFF

BRINDELL WILKINS.

HE SAID HE KNEW OF A THREAT

AGAINST JOSHUA FREEMAN, ONE OF

HIS DEPUTIES, URGING THE PERSON

TO KILL RAYMOND BY SAYING TAKE

CARE OF IT OR THE ONLY WAY YOU

WILL STOP HIM IS TO KILL HIM.

WE BROUGHT YOU A FLURRY OF

ACTIVITY WITH NEWS CONFERENCE'S

AND WRAL SPOKE WITH THE FORMER

DEPUTY, HIS LAWYER AND THE

FORMER DEPUTY THAT SENT THE

CASE TO THE GRAND JURY.

WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE OF THAT

ANGLE AND MORE AND WE BEGIN

WITH SARAH KRUEGER LIVE FROM

GRANVILLE COUNTY.

>> Reporter: THE COUNTY

ATTORNEY AND HELD A NEWS

CONFERENCE HERE AT THE

CONVENTION CENTER AND SAID THAT

HE LIKE MANY OTHERS IS EAGERLY

AWAITING MORE INFORMATION.

MEANWHILE, I WAS ABLE TO

UNCOVER ANOTHER ELEMENT IN THIS

DEVELOPING STORY.

>> Reporter: PROSECUTORS SAY

THAT THE DEPUTY JOSHUA FREEMAN

WAS THE TARGET OF THE MURDER

PLOT.

I REACHED FREEMAN BY PHONE AND

HE REFERRED ME TO HIS ATTORNEY,

BOYD STURGIS.

>> HE SERVED IN THE MIDDLE EAST

AS A VETERAN.

THERE'S NOTHING EASY IN HIS JOB

AND IS VERY STRESSFUL.

>> Reporter: REVEALING A NEW

LAYER AND THE UNFOLDING STORY

AND SAYS THE GRANVILLE COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE PARSLEY

CHARGED HIS CLIENT WITH DWI AND

DRUG CHARGES IN 2016-2017 YEARS

AFTER HE WAS DISMISSED.

>> IT IS MY CLIENT POSITION

THEY WERE RETALIATING FOR

PROBLEMS THAT THE SHERIFF HAD

WITH MY CLIENT.

IT IS OUR POSITION THOSE WERE

TRUMPED-UP CHARGES.

>> Reporter: THE CHARGES WERE

LATER DROPPED BY DA MIKE WATERS

THAT SAID THERE WERE ISSUES

THAT WOULD'VE PREVENTED

SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION.

ON THE DWI HE SAID THE

CREDIBILITY OF ONE OFFICER WAS

IN QUESTION.

ON THE DRUG CASE HE TOLD ME IT

APPEARS THE OFFICERS

DEMONSTRATED BISON THAT THEY

GOT DRUGS OUT OF THE EVIDENCE

ROOM THAT WERE THERE FOR THE

EXPRESS PURPOSE OF TRAINING

CANINES.

INSTEAD THEY PUT THEM INTO

CIRCULATION TO BE DELIVERED TO

JOSHUA FREEMAN.

PERSONNEL RECORDS OBTAINED BY

WRAL SHOWS FREEMAN A DEPUTY

AND GRANVILLE COUNTY FROM 2011

THROUGH 2014.

WRAL OBTAINED A DETERMINATION

LETTER THAT SIMPLY SAYS THAT

THE FREEMAN SERVICES WERE NO

LONGER NEEDED.

>> Reporter: I TRIED TO REACH

THE SHERIFF TODAY BUT WAS

UNSUCCESSFUL.

PROSECUTORS SAY THERE IS

ANOTHER ONGOING INVESTIGATION

INTO THE GRANVILLE COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE INTO THE

ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND THE

DRUG INVESTIGATION SCHEME.

>> THAT IS SARAH KRUEGER LIVE