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LINCOLNTON – Sheriff Tim Daugherty pleaded not guilty this morning to two counts of obstruction of justice in a case involving his chief deputy getting an acquaintance out of a drunken driving arrest.
After the two-minute hearing in Superior Court, Sheriff's Lt. Stanley Crowder said Daugherty “has no plans whatsoever to resign.”
The indictment, handed down by a grand jury Monday, stems from conflicting statements and evidence Daugherty gave when he first learned about a case in which the chief deputy, Barry Taylor, helped a Denver doctor avoid a DWI charge.
According to Assistant District Attorney Gwynn Radeker, the sheriff signed a statement that he was contacted by Taylor after the arrest of Dr. Daniel Senft, “and he instructed the chief deputy to release him.”
But later, Daugherty told the State Bureau of Investigation he had no personal involvement in the case.
The indictment against Daugherty says he instructed Taylor to take Senft to his office and later release him, preventing the arresting deputy “from offering the chemical analysis to Daniel Senft or performing any other acts necessary to complete his duties.”
Taylor was fired Oct. 5, less than a week after being convicted of misdemeanor obstruction of justice over the handling of the DWI arrest.
Daugherty and Taylor have been at the center of a six-month controversy surrounding the Lincoln County sheriff's department, fueled by bloggers charging cronyism and illegal activities in the department.
