‘None of it’s true.’ Wake County Sheriff Baker says office is not under investigation
Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker held a news conference to dispel rumors that his office is under investigation, that he has been indicted or that he is leaving office.
“There is no investigation that I know of,” Baker said Sunday evening. “There is no federal investigation. There are no pending indictments that I know of concerning money or forfeitures.”
“I don’t know what all’s out there. But it doesn’t matter, because none of it’s true.”
Baker became sheriff in 2018, part of a wave of newly elected Black sheriffs in North Carolina’s largest cities, and is up for re-election next year. He defeated incumbent Donnie Harrison, who was seeking a fifth term and has said he plans to run for sheriff again.
Baker said the sheriff’s office has been fiscally sound under his leadership, which he said was not always the case in the past. He suggested the rumors might be politically motivated.
“There have been some folks upset, still upset, about the fact that I won the election in 2018,” Baker said. “I can’t sit here and say that’s exactly what it is. But one plus one is two.
“I know, and many others know there are still some folks that are still unhappy with the results,” he said.
The News & Observer tried to contact Harrison by phone and email, but he had not responded as of mid-afternoon Monday.
In an interview last week, Matt Calabria, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said the sheriff’s office had also told the county it was unaware of any investigation.
“There is no investigation we have been made aware of,” Calabria said Friday. “Our staff has inquired with the sheriff’s office, and they have indicated there is no investigation that they are aware of.”
Neither Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman nor the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the sheriff’s office, they said Friday.
Asset forfeiture program
Baker was asked by a reporter Sunday whether his administration had misused funds from its asset forfeiture program, which lets the office seize property or cash that was part of an alleged crime and keep part of the proceeds.
“Can’t tell you exactly what the amount is now, but there are no issues” with that program, he said. “The portions of it that are allotted for this office is used to purchase equipment. They use it mainly for our Drugs and Vice (Unit) and our Special Operations Unit, who are the ones who are out there dealing with the seizures of the drugs and the monies.
“But at no point has there ever been any question or misuse of any funds in this office since Gerald Baker has been sheriff,” he said.
The N&O requested information Monday about the asset forfeiture program, including how much money the sheriff’s office has received in the past five years.
No subpoenas, attorney says
Baker was joined at Sunday’s news conference by his chief legal adviser, J. Rick Brown, who said there had been no subpoenas issued to anyone in Baker’s administration.
“We received no subpoenas for records, have had no contact with the U.S. attorney,” Brown said. “We’ve had no contact from legal, which would normally be the course of something going on.”
Brown also said there was a rumor that Baker had cleared out his office, which was used for Sunday’s news conference. The office did not appear to have been cleared.
Baker said he spent Saturday night wondering whether he should address the rumors or not. He said he was worried that his silence could damage the reputation of the office.
“As I pondered last night, I just felt that it was necessary to come and speak on these rumors because of the damage that they could do,” he said. “That is concerning to me.”
Staff writers Anna Johnson and Dan Kane contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 18, 2021 at 5:48 PM with the headline "‘None of it’s true.’ Wake County Sheriff Baker says office is not under investigation."
