Sheriff Garry McFadden calls allegations ‘lies,’ says he welcomes SBI probe
Facing allegations in a court petition that his behavior is so abusive he should be removed from office, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told the press on Tuesday that the claims are “lies” and said he welcomed a State Bureau of Investigation review.
“The petition is nothing but a smear campaign designed just before the election,” McFadden said at the Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center prior to a forum on juvenile detention. “It is filled with lies and we welcome the investigation and we respect the investigation that will be occurring.”
But beyond that, McFadden said he’d have no further comment, and he slowly backed away as reporters asked more questions.
State Rep. Carla Cunningham, former sheriff’s office Chief Deputy Kevin Canty and three other former sheriff’s office employees filed a petition to remove McFadden from office in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on Monday.
District Attorney Spencer Merriweather on Monday also asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into the petitioners’ claims, including whether McFadden committed any crime. The SBI confirmed its professional standards unit would investigate.
Cunningham accused McFadden of threatening her in a phone call last year. Other allegations in the court petition say he retaliated against employees, had information technology staff work on his campaign website, and made deputies on duty drive officials to bars and strip clubs.
Canty, who is also a former special agent in charge of the SBI’s Charlotte office, resigned from the sheriff’s office in November 2024 and issued a letter then alleging that McFadden abused his powers. Since then, other former high-ranking employees have made similar accusations in another public resignation letter, interviews with news outlets and lawsuits.
McFadden faces three challengers in the March Democratic primary: former Chief Deputy Rodney Collins, former Detention Officer Antwain Nance and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Sheriff Garry McFadden calls allegations ‘lies,’ says he welcomes SBI probe."