NC sheriff ordered Granville deputy to sign off on training documents, attorney says
A fired deputy signed off on training paperwork for former Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins and his chief deputy after the sheriff ordered him to, an attorney said in court Tuesday.
“[Wilkins] based that decision on his years of experience and using his discretion as the sheriff,” said Hart Miles, an attorney representing Chad Coffey, the former deputy, told a jury in his opening argument.
Coffey, a Granville County deputy for more than 20 years, faces 24 felony charges in Wake County that accuse him of obstructing justice and obtaining property by false pretenses.
The charges contend he falsely indicated that Wilkins and former Chief Deputy Sherwood Boyd had completed annual in-service and firearm training from 2013 to 2018.
Coffey had reservations, Miles said, but he knew both men had years of experience, were strong shooters and weren’t out on the streets making arrests.
“Chad knew what happened if he failed to comply with the sheriff’s directive,” Miles said.
Coffey put the information in the men’s files, but it was the sheriff that submitted them to the state, Miles said.
Under state law, sheriffs don’t have to complete annual in-service training, while deputies who don’t can get suspended.
Boyd only performed administrative duties and wasn’t required to be certified, Miles told the jury.
Instead of facing felony charges, Miles said, Coffey should face administrative actions at most for following the sheriff’s directive.
“There is nothing for him to gain by this arrangement. He loved his job,” Miles said. “He was passionate about law enforcement instruction and was very dedicated to keeping his deputies well trained and to keep the streets of Granville County safe.”
‘Tremendous amount of power’
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, however, had a very different take on the situation.
“Law enforcement in this state have a very difficult job. They also have a tremendous amount of power. Power to arrest. Power to search our homes and our property,” Freeman told the jury. “In exchange for that, we require that they be well trained and that they tell the truth.”
While Coffey claims he was doing what he was told, the case is about his actions, Freeman said.
“There are other individuals charged as a result,” Freeman said, alluding to charges that Wilkins and Boyd face. “They too will have their day in court.”
Years-long investigation
The case is distantly tied to a years-long investigation into the Granville County Sheriff’s Office.
Wilkins was indicted in 2019 on felony obstruction of justice charges amid allegations he discussed killing a former deputy in 2014. The deputy allegedly had a recording of Wilkins using “racially insensitive language,” The News & Observer reported.
Wilkins, who had been sheriff since 2009, stepped down in 2019 pending the investigation.
In June Wilkins faced additional charges related to the sheriff’s office drug unit and improper approval of gun permits, WRAL reported.
The charges in Wake County came after Granville County hired an auditor to review the sheriff’s office, Freeman has said. The county referred the case to law enforcement after identifying concerns, she said.
Coffey’s case is the first to reach a jury trial.
Coffey also faces another 11 felonies in Granville County charging him with obstruction of justice, conspiring to deliver cocaine, embezzlement by a public officer and other offenses.
The indictments contend Coffey misused sheriff’s office money meant for drug investigations and allowed confidential informants to keep some of the narcotics they bought during investigations into alleged dealers.
Coffey’s attorneys have argued the charges against Wilkins and others stem from Mike Waters, the district attorney for Granville, Vance, Franklin, Warren and Person counties. Wilkins supported Waters’ opponent in the 2014 DA election, they wrote in a recent court motion that sought to have Freeman taken off Coffey’s case and the charges dismissed.
Coffey’s attorneys argued that Waters gave the cases to Freeman due to his conflict of interest, but that Waters then continued to participate in private.
Freeman denied the allegations calling the argument “a slanderous smear campaign scantily clad as a motion.”
The judge denied the request to dismiss the Wake charges, but his statements in court indicated the motion could be more successful in Granville County since Freeman doesn’t have original jurisdiction there. A date hasn’t been set for a trial on those charges.
The current trial is unfolding in Wake because the documents were submitted to an agency within the county, Freeman has said.
Six years of training documents
Coffey was well trained and taught about his responsibilities for documenting the training that officers needed to maintain their certification, Freeman said in her opening argument.
“This defendant had to falsify, not one, not two but multiple documents for every class year after year and submit those to the division,” Freeman said.
‘Logistical challenge’
During the arguments, which previewed the evidence the attorneys plan to present at trial, Miles emphasized sheriffs’ broad powers and discretion, and the challenges Wilkins faced in keeping the county and courthouse safe, the jail staffed and 911 calls answered.
It was under those circumstances, Miles said, that Wilkins decided he and Boyd would not participate in formal training.
“Training was always a logistical challenge,” Miles said.
Wilkins worked with Coffey to develop an in-house training curriculum, Miles said. Coffey would put the materials together, and the sheriff and chief deputy would review them and take the test, Miles said.
Miles also noted that while the men didn’t complete annual firearm training, Coffey was familiar with their shooting skills, which were far above the minimum needed to recertify deputies to carry firearms.
“Chad Coffey loved being a deputy,” Miles said. “If he had any indication that he was committing a crime he absolutely would not have signed off. “
Testimony is scheduled to continue Wednesday in the trial, which is expected to extend most of the week.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 6:34 PM with the headline "NC sheriff ordered Granville deputy to sign off on training documents, attorney says."
