Mecklenburg Sheriff McFadden just hired the man who almost beat him in the election
One of Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden’s opponents in a recent primary will be his second-in-command soon.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins will begin work as the sheriff’s office’s chief deputy on April 1.
Robbins’ role will include overseeing patrol functions, like warrant service and traffic enforcement, he said in a phone interview with The Charlotte Observer.
A longtime employee of the local police department, Robbins ran for sheriff in this month’s primary on a platform of reopening a county juvenile jail, as well as improving recruitment and retention. Early on in his campaign, he said he was not interested in criticizing McFadden.
The sheriff narrowly won re-election with about 34% of the vote. Robbins took home about 31%, and two other candidates split the rest.
When Robbins called McFadden to congratulate him on his victory, the sheriff said the two should “sit down and talk,” Robbins told the Observer. He got the job offer last Wednesday, he said.
“Mr. Robbins’ experience and vision align with our mission to promote safety, accountability and trust across Mecklenburg County,” McFadden said in a statement. “As Chief Deputy, he will play a key role in advancing our priorities and supporting the dedicated men and women of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.”
A slew of high-ranking sheriff’s office employees have quit, resigned or been fired and criticized McFadden’s leadership on the way out. One former chief deputy, Kevin Canty, accused McFadden of running the agency like a “third-world dictatorship” in a resignation letter.
Robbins spoke with Canty before taking the job, he told the Observer. He is confident his tenure at the sheriff’s office will be less dramatic than other employees’, he said.
“One big difference is myself and the sheriff have worked together through our entire careers,” Robbins said. “So, I think the way that we look at each other is totally different. I think that we have a level of respect for each other. We’ve never lost that. We didn’t even lose that during the campaign.”
The two worked together in CMPD’s homicide unit for about a decade, Robbins said, and have crossed paths often since.
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 March 26, 2026 at 8:14 PM.