In Mecklenburg sheriff’s race, will controversy catch up with Garry McFadden?
Amid all the debate about reopening a juvenile jail and how to hire and keep more deputies, perhaps the biggest campaign issue in the Mecklenburg County sheriff election is one of the candidates.
That is: Sheriff Garry McFadden, who is seeking re-election while under criminal investigation.
“I think that I have exactly what the community needs — fearless, bold. As we say, ‘head bloodied but unbowed,’” he told longtime Charlottean and retired journalist Ken Koontz in a recent panel interview that included two of his competitors.
Eight years and two completed terms into his time as sheriff, McFadden’s theory will be tested in his third run, which he made after some hesitation.
Former Chief Deputy Rodney Collins is also running, leaning on his 30 years of experience at the sheriff’s office. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins has made reopening Jail North, the county’s shuttered juvenile jail, a major pitch in his own bid for the office. Former Detention Officer Antwain Nance has argued that it’s time for someone who hasn’t spent decades in law enforcement, an outsider, to lead the agency.
Over the last two years, several high-ranking staffers have resigned from the sheriff’s office and criticized McFadden on the way out, accusing him of abusing his power and bullying people. He has feuded and, at least for now, reached a truce with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A state lawmaker accused him of threatening her. Some former employees have tried to remove him from office, and they might yet succeed.
Last month, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into some of the allegations leveled against McFadden, which was requested by Democratic District Attorney Spencer Merriweather after he received a petition to remove McFadden that included the claims.
“Every investigation is different and there is no way to guess how long a case will take,” SBI spokesperson Chad Flowers said in an email, adding that the state law enforcement agency is “actively investigating.”
The petition alleged McFadden, in a phone call, threatened Democratic state lawmaker Carla Cunningham over an upcoming vote. It also says the sheriff ordered deputy sheriffs on dignitary duty to drive officials to bars and strip clubs.
The investigation has not stopped McFadden from getting an important endorsement. Late last month, the influential Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg lent its support to the sheriff.
Caucus Chair Jocelyn Nolley did not respond to an interview request for this story.
McFadden, a longtime and well-known homicide detective at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for decades and the brief star of a reality television show before he was first elected sheriff, has deep community ties in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Originally from South Carolina, he attended Johnson C. Smith University and went to work at CMPD in the 1980s.
Collins and Robbins are also locals, though, and Robbins has enjoyed big endorsements, too.
Law enforcement and football stars alike have supported the CMPD sergeant. Former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe joined former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, running back Chuba Hubbard and defensive end Derek Brown in backing Robbins early on.
Last week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police — a frequent and vocal critic of McFadden’s — also threw its weight behind Robbins’ run. The Charlotte Observer Editorial Board endorsed Robbins.
Much of a Jan. 28 debate revolved around McFadden’s personal grievances with Collins, the SBI investigation he faces and other questions of his leadership.
Early on, before he announced he would run and when he still weighed whether he wanted to, McFadden said he expected the race to be big and high-stakes.
“I know the game very well, and this is the political game,” he told The Charlotte Observer in an October interview. “This is the biggest political game ever, and our race is going to be the race of ever.”
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 February 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.