‘Betrayal’: Sheriff McFadden addresses recent staff departures, lawsuit accusing him of retaliation and racism

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has seen its fair share of departures and criticisms, as well as a lawsuit filed against Sheriff Garry McFadden.

On Wednesday, five days after a lawsuit was filed by the agency’s former director of business operations, Dr. Angelia Riggsbee,

accusing McFadden of retaliation, racial discrimination, and wrongful termination, he released an almost 12-minute-long video addressing the recent staff departures.

By law, McFadden can not talk about personnel matters; however, he says he feels he needs to offer clarity on the situation.

“This is about my character, my reputation, my integrity, my loyalty, but most of all, it’s about my legacy,” he states in the video.

McFadden says that his loyalty and trust in his staff have been betrayed. He also says his wife felt betrayed when he told her about the pending litigation.

He did not name the executive staff members in the video, but he says they had weekly calls with his wife. He says his wife feels most betrayed because she’s helped several of the unnamed staff members.

“When you have an executive staff, you believe you can have these conversations, you believe you can have these tough conversations, and move on. This is not the case here. My executive staff, who should be my most trusted staff, is the most ultimate betrayal of my agency.”

He reads from a paper during the video, presumably addressing comments made by former Chief Deputy Christopher Allen wrote to McFadden when he resigned, stating that he suffered both “mentally and physically” under what he called McFadden’s “abusive and narcissistic behaviors.”

“What they should be saying is progressive, innovative, forward-thinking, always direct and always clear, highly motivated, have high expectations, demands accountability, but most of all, caring,” he retorts.

McFadden says he allowed the deputies to come into his home to eat, meet his parents and in-laws, and hold his grandchildren, but he was “betrayed” by those very people.

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“To be the first African American law enforcement officer to also be betrayed by African American executive staff members is also something that I would never fathom happening. Why? Because I gave them grace and I gave them opportunity, that most of them would have never had or would have experienced by working for an agency of this caliber,” he says.

McFadden asks why “African-Americans” target “other people in their community” when they’re in top leadership positions, and why they didn’t target their previous employers. He suggests that because this is election season, they are starting to target him.

“I just wish each and every one of them good luck in wherever they may work. Again, I just ask that they don’t be as deceiving and they do not betray their other employers as they betrayed me.”