County commissioner accused of sex crimes involving minor, North Carolina officials say
A county commissioner and former high school tennis coach in North Carolina is accused of taking indecent liberties with a minor, according to law enforcement officials.
Ashe County Commissioner Larry Dix was arrested Thursday shortly before 4:30 p.m. on four counts of indecent liberties with a minor, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.
Dix is from Grassy Creek, just shy of the Virginia border in North Carolina.
Special agents with the SBI started looking into Dix in early July at the request of District Attorney Tom Horner and the investigation is ongoing, the release states. The alleged incidents date back to between July 1, 2019 and June 19, 2020, the SBI said.
Dix was issued a $200,000 bond and is currently being held at the Alleghany County Jail.
The 69-year-old was elected to the Ashe County Board of Commissioners in 2018 and his term doesn’t expire until 2022, the Watauga Democrat reported. County officials told the newspaper they had no comment regarding his arrest, but County Manager Adam Stumb said, “I know we’re all trying to process this right now and are awaiting additional details regarding the charges.”
Dix was formerly the head tennis coach for the teams at Ashe County High School, Fox 8 reported.
“I have also worked for several years as the Graduation Coach at the high school since retiring from state government where I had been a public servant for over 30 years serving in several administrative and executive management positions,” he said in a 2016 Facebook post while running for office, according to the TV station.
Superintendent Eisa Cox told the Watauga Democrat Cox resigned this past summer, and the SBI informed school officials “the investigation is outside of the school system.”
