Granville County sheriff resigns, former sheriff indicted over alleged falsified records

A former Granville County sheriff was indicted on new charges Tuesday, and the current sheriff has resigned.

Former Sheriff Brindell Wilkins, who agreed to step down in 2019 pending an ongoing investigation tied to an indictment, is now accused of falsifying law enforcement training records required by the state from 2012 through 2018, according to court records.

He has been indicted on seven counts of obtaining property under false pretenses and seven counts of obstruction of justice.

Charles Noblin, the current sheriff, is stepping down amid the new allegations, though he has not been indicted on any charges.

A grand jury said Wilkins used deception to retain his law enforcement certification from the N.C. Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Division, and knowingly submitted false and misleading information.

Wilkins allegedly falsified records to show he had completed mandated annual training and firearm qualification requirements, when he actually had not done so, court records said.

Sherwood Boyd, a former chief deputy, was indicted on the same charges of falsifying records to maintain his certification.

Chad Coffey, a former deputy who also served as training coordinator and firearms instructor, and Edward Keith Campbell were also indicted Tuesday in connection with the falsified records.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said she did not know if Campbell still works for the sheriff’s office.

The Granville County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment.

Current sheriff resigns

Noblin, who took over in January 2020, told county commissioners his resignation would become effective 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to his resignation letter.

He said it was best for him and the sheriff’s office “due to personal reasons beyond my control and newly discovered information brought to my attention concerning the ongoing investigation.”

Freeman said Noblin’s decision “put his agency before his own personal interest.”

“This will give this agency an opportunity to start anew,” Freeman said in an email. “Law enforcement holds a difficult position within our communities but maintaining the public trust must be paramount. They must adhere to the highest standards when it comes to credibility and qualifications.”

In a letter to the N.C. Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Division, Freeman said there were allegations and evidence indicating that Noblin had signed a firearm qualification form when he had not completed the required training.

Another certified individual, Russell Corley, was alleged to have done the same.

Both men were on medical leave at the time and “participated in their agency submitting fraudulent information to the Division at the direction of others within the department,” according to the letter.

“It was our determination that these isolated incidents under the circumstances in which they occurred should not be the subject of a criminal prosecution,” Freeman wrote.

The sheriff’s office declined to comment on Noblin’s resignation.

Wilkins indicted in 2019

The new charges against the former sheriff come more than two years after Wilkins was initially indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice in September of 2019.

That indictment occurred amid allegations that Wilkins had discussed killing a former deputy who had a recording of him using “racially insensitive language,” The N&O reported at the time.

Wilkins reportedly thought that the former deputy would release that recording to authorities, and in a 2014 phone call said “the only way you gonna stop him is kill him,” according to court records.

The case remains pending, Freeman said.

This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Granville County sheriff resigns, former sheriff indicted over alleged falsified records."