County official ensnared in meth investigation, North Carolina officials say

The Register of Deeds in Wilkes County has been arrested as part of a methamphetamine investigation, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Misty Michelle Smithey, 48, was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and felony conspiracy to possess methamphetamine, SBI officials said in a March 11 news release. She was arrested “without incident” on Wednesday and booked into the Wilkes County Detention Center, officials said.

Smithey has worked at the Wilkes County’s Register of Deeds since 2004, and was elected to lead the department in 2016, according to the Register of Deeds Facebook page. She was still listed as head of the department as of March 12.

An arrest warrant reports the offenses occurred Feb. 19, when Smithey conspired “with a person to be named at a later date to commit the felony possession of methamphetamine.”

“Further details about the investigation, including potential additional suspects or charges, are not being released at this time due to the ongoing nature of the case,” state officials said.

Wilkes County is about a 90-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.