State lawmakers want to grill sheriff over Charlotte's crime
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Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden and other local officials have been summoned to testify in Raleigh on the department's "failures."
Why it matters: This is the latest high-profile way Republicans are casting blame on Charlotte's Democratic leadership for rising crime concerns, especially in the wake of the fatal Aug. 22 light rail stabbing.
Driving the news: In a letter, which Republican state Rep. Brenden Jones posted to X, the North Carolina House Oversight Committee requested that McFadden appear in Raleigh the morning of Jan. 22.
- McFadden will face questions about his office's role in public safety, particularly on the city's transit system, as well as spending, strategic plans and DEI initiatives, the letter details.
- In a statement, McFadden said he will be there: "I have nothing to
hide."
The latest: Meanwhile, Democratic state Rep. Carla Cunningham and four of McFadden's former employees joined in a petition to remove the sheriff from office. The filing in Mecklenburg County Superior Court alleges that McFadden asked Cunningham to vote down certain legislation, stating, "I don't want to see you get hurt; you live in my county."
- Cunningham took McFadden's tone as a threat, "akin to a mafia boss."
- The court filing also accused McFadden of misusing resources, including directing on-duty deputies to drive visiting officials to bars and strip clubs in county cars.
- District attorney Spencer Merriweather is asking the SBI to investigate the criminal allegations, our news partners at WBTV report.
The big picture: McFadden has been in the national spotlight recently for his public sparring with ICE, which made Charlotte a target for a Border Patrol crackdown in November, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused McFadden of not cooperating with ICE and releasing undocumented immigrants from jail before agents can come to detain them.
- In a December press conference, McFadden called Noem's statement a "word salad," adding, "They will not tell you that I am not following the law. I am not cooperating to what they want us to follow."
McFadden has also been criticizing House Bill 307, otherwise known as Iryna's Law, which the Republican-controlled legislature passed last year with Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's support. McFadden says the state bill, drafted soon after the light rail stabbing, does not provide funding to accommodate a surge of inmates and will lead to jail overcrowding.
- Former employees have also accused McFadden of running a toxic workplace and an unsafe jail.
- He faces three Democratic primary challengers in his 2026 reelection campaign. No Republicans are running in the sheriff's race.
Editor's note: We've updated this story with the latest on the petition, the sheriff's response and the district attorney's request.