NC- Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins indicted; *Felony Obstruction* 16 Sep 2019

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Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins was indicted Monday on two counts of felony obstruction of justice, according to a news release from Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.

Wilkins is accused of obstructing “public and legal justice by withholding knowledge of a credible threat made by an individual known to the Sheriff to imminently kill Joshua Freeman,” according to court documents released.

Freeman is a former deputy, according to correspondence between Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman and Granville County District Attorney Mike Waters. Documents allege that Wilkins “failed to properly execute his duties because of his personal animosity towards Joshua Freeman.”

The document further alleged that Freeman had expressed to Wilkins the intention to disclose to authorities a purported audio recording of him using “racially offensive language.”

Documents also said Wilkins encouraged this individual “take care of it,” and “if you need to take care of somethin’, just take care of something,” and “the only way you gonna stop him is kill him.”
Granville Co., NC sheriff indicted, accused of failing to act on murder threat toward former deputy

 

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Wilkins is accused of further counseling the individual on how to murder “in a manner as to avoid identification.” The document quoted Wilkins as saying “you ain’t got the weapon, you ain’t got nothing to go on” and “the only way we find out these murder things is people talk. You can’t tell nobody nothin’.”

Lorrin Freeman adopted the case at the request of Waters “following a determination by Waters that he had a conflict in the matter,” the release said.

The charges are the result of a 10-month investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The FBI assisted.


Wilkins was voluntarily served with the indictments Monday afternoon. He was released on a $20,000 bond, the release said. His first court date is scheduled for Oct. 9 at 9:30 a.m. in Granville County.

There is also a second investigation concerning the sheriff’s office’s “accounting practices and controlled substance interdiction efforts.” That investigation is pending, the release said.
N.C. sheriff indicted, accused of helping in murder plot of former deputy

 

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The sheriff of Granville County in North Carolina was charged Monday for plotting the murder of a deputy who allegedly had a recording of the sheriff making "racially offensive" comments, according to The Washington Post.
Sheriff charged with plotting murder of deputy who planned to expose his racist comments

 

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Sheriff Brindell Wilkins of Granville County was recorded in a 2014 phone call with a “well-known” third party endorsing that person’s plan to murder the former deputy, Joshua Freeman, according to prosecutors. Voicing a fear that Freeman would soon release the tape of the sheriff saying racist things, Wilkins allegedly told the person on the call that “the only way you gonna stop him is kill him.”

Wilkins, who has served as sheriff since 2009, according to the News & Observer, also allegedly told the person how to get away with the murder without being caught. “You ain’t got the weapon, you ain’t got nothing to go on,” he said. He also advised that the “only way we find out these murder things is people talk,” and therefore “you can’t tell nobody nothing, not a thing.” The person on the phone gave Wilkins a time and place where the planned murder would be, and Wilkins did not alert the deputy or in any other way intervene. He instead promised not to reveal anything about the murder after the fact. The plan was not carried out, but it’s not clear what happened.
North Carolina Sheriff Allegedly Tried to Plan Murder of Deputy Who Had Recording of Him Saying Racist Things

 

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*Oct 12, 2023:
“Defendant Wilkins admitted guilt for his criminal conduct and actions that violated the trust of the community he swore to serve and protect,” said Kimberly Overton Spahos, executive director of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.

In December 2022, Wilkins was convicted on six counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense and six counts of felony obstruction of justice. These convictions came after Wilkins was accused of creating a plot to stop a former deputy from releasing audio tape of Wilkins using “racially offensive language.”

Ex-Granville County sheriff pleads guilty to obstruction of justice, failure to discharge duties

Former Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins pleaded guilty Wednesday to four counts of felony obstruction of justice and two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to discharge duties.

www.cbs17.com