Will Columbus County Sheriff Keep His Job After Racist Comments?

By Cash Michaels –

Will Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene hold onto his job after a Superior Court judge, at the request of local District Attorney Jon David, temporarily suspended Greene from office after WECT-TV reported that he vowed to get rid of “Black bastards” working for the sheriff’s department?

At press time, Superior Court Judge Douglas Sasser had suspended Sheriff Greene on Oct. 4, 2022 on the basis of obstruction of justice charges, and was expected to soon hold a hearing on October 24, per a petition by D.A. David, to permanently remove Greene from office.

Greene has denied making racial remarks about African American deputies, but the television station aired surreptitiously recorded remarks allegedly made by the Republican sheriff by one of his former captains in the department in February 2019, after Greene won a controversial 2018 election over the Black incumbent.

That former captain, Jason Soles, a Democrat, is now running against Greene’s re-election, and says he began taping the sheriff after he started calling Soles late at night after winning, complaining, “I’m sick of it. I’m sick of these Black bastards. I’m going to clean house and be done with it. And we’ll start from there.”

Soles, who is also White and a Democrat, said he didn’t share Greene’s racist concern that Black employees at the Columbus County Sheriff’s Department opposed his election, and that’s why he began taping their phone conversations after Greene said “I hate a Black f—king Democrat.”

“It broke my heart. Because that’s not what I believe in. It upset me to the fact that I did have to start recording his phone calls. And I’m not wanting to go around recording people’s conversations. But… this was not the leader that we needed leading the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office making these racial slurs,” Soles told WECT-TV.

In the time since Greene was recorded allegedly making the racist remarks, several Black employees of the Columbus County Sheriff’s Department have either lost their jobs or been demoted, WECT-TV reported.

District Attorney David, also a Republican, has said his concern is about the hundreds of cases his office handles from arrests by Columbus County deputies that may be tainted because of the racial attitude of Sheriff Greene. He wrote a letter to Sheriff Greene urging him to resign.

“There can be no question that the use of racist language, directed at all officers of color under your command, is conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, which brings the Office of Sheriff into disrepute.”

For his part, Greene has refused to resign, suggesting that somehow the recording was manipulated to make him sound racist by a political opponent. Greene’s supporters defend him, lauding him as an outstanding last enforcement official, and doing his best to rid the southeastern NC county of drug dealers.

After the television station’s report, Governor Cooper’s office condemned Sheriff Greene’s remarks, calling for an investigation.

The Columbus County NAACP issued a “call for action” for Sheriff Greene’s permanent removal, and expressed concern that he could be re-elected in November if all fair-minded citizens did not come out to vote. NC NAACP President Deborah Maxwell joined the local chapter in urging citizens to get out to vote Greene out.

Unless Sasser rules otherwise, it is quite possible that Greene could be officially removed from office later this month on October 24, only to be re-elected on November 8.