Two weeks ago, Jody Greene resigned as sheriff of Columbus County, North Carolina, after it was revealed he made racist comments about Black employees in 2019. He said he resigned for his "love" for the county and asked for forgiveness as he went full speed ahead on his reelection campaign.
And on Tuesday, he won.
Unofficial election results for the county show that Greene garnered more than 10,000 votes to be reelected as sheriff, compared to the fewer than 8,500 secured by his opponent, Jason Soles. His win comes amid significant controversy after the district attorney revealed in September that Greene had made "highly inappropriate and racially charged statements" about Black employees three years ago.
Court documents published by local NBC affiliate WECT reveal that District Attorney Jon David had obtained an audio recording from the State Bureau of Investigation of a phone call Greene was on. The court documents – a petition to remove Greene from office – say that Greene made the comments while he was suspended from office as the state Board of Elections investigated his residency status.
According to those documents, Greene was "convinced there was a leak in his office" that resulted in that investigation, and was heavily focused on Lewis Hatcher, the county's first Black sheriff, and Melvin Campbell, a Black sergeant, as well as other Black employees whom he felt had undermined him.
"I'm sick of these Black bastards. I'm gonna clean house and be done with it," a transcript of those recordings included in the documents reveal. "...They're gone. I'm telling you. That's as fair as I'm gonna be. ... if they're not with me, they're against me. And they're gone. ... If I have to fire every mother f***er out there, guess what?"
"I'm still the motherf***ing sheriff, and I'll go up and fire every goddamn [inaudible]. F*** them Black bastards," he continued. "They think I'm scared? They're stupid. I don't know what else to do with it. So it's just time to clean them out. There's a snitch in there somewhere tellin' what we are doing. And I'm not gonna have it. ...hell is coming."
The transcript shows Greene continued to say that Campbell and Hatcher would be fired, and that "they're gonna be guilty by f***ing association."
The call, according to Greene in a post on the sheriff's office Facebook page in September, was recorded by his 2022 midterm opponent, Soles, who he said was a captain in Greene's command staff at the time. Greene claims that Soles was "spreading rumors" to "further incite racial division...to pursue his personal agenda." At the time of the post, Greene "adamantly" denied "any racial intent or actions on my part."
The petition states that at least one Black employee at the sheriff's office was fired after that recording.
That petition was filed on October 4. An amended petition filed 16 days later includes further allegations that Greene he had taken part in corruption and willful misconduct, including claims that he had a sexual relationship with a detective who was under his supervision.
In the amended complaint, Soles signed an affidavit in which he states he did not originally intend to record the conversation, but started to do so about 2 minutes in after Greene stated he hates a "Black democrat." He also swore the recording had not been edited.
On October 24, Greene resigned from his post, which he had won in November 2018, "due to my love for Columbus County."
He claimed that the allegations are false and "politically motivated," but apologized for his actions.
"This has been a humbling experience," he wrote on Facebook the day he resigned. "I am sincerely sorry for the disrespectful and insensitive words that have offended my friends, colleagues, and fellow citizens. I ask for forgiveness."
In that same post, he said he can't afford to "spend the next week fighting in a courtroom while we are in the middle of an election to preserve our freedom." He said that he was running to make the county "better and safer" for all citizens, and asked followers to "pray for the ones who trespass against me."
The comments have been condemned by multiple groups, including the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, which said that Greene's comments "shock the conscience" and said Greene resigned his membership. The ACLU and NAACP of North Carolina also released a joint statement, saying Columbus County residents "deserve better."
Upon his reelection, Greene posted on Facebook again, saying that the election was "extremely stressful" but that he is honored to be reelected.
"I promise I will not let you down, I am the Sheriff for everyone no matter race, color, religion, sex orientation, or national origin," he said. "Moving forward I ask for your continued prayers and support as we face new challenges in Columbus county. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart."
Li Cohen
Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.
North Carolina sheriff Jody Greene resigned after racist comments were leaked. Two weeks later, the town reelected him.
By Li Cohen
/ CBS News
Two weeks ago, Jody Greene resigned as sheriff of Columbus County, North Carolina, after it was revealed he made racist comments about Black employees in 2019. He said he resigned for his "love" for the county and asked for forgiveness as he went full speed ahead on his reelection campaign.
And on Tuesday, he won.
Unofficial election results for the county show that Greene garnered more than 10,000 votes to be reelected as sheriff, compared to the fewer than 8,500 secured by his opponent, Jason Soles. His win comes amid significant controversy after the district attorney revealed in September that Greene had made "highly inappropriate and racially charged statements" about Black employees three years ago.
Court documents published by local NBC affiliate WECT reveal that District Attorney Jon David had obtained an audio recording from the State Bureau of Investigation of a phone call Greene was on. The court documents – a petition to remove Greene from office – say that Greene made the comments while he was suspended from office as the state Board of Elections investigated his residency status.
According to those documents, Greene was "convinced there was a leak in his office" that resulted in that investigation, and was heavily focused on Lewis Hatcher, the county's first Black sheriff, and Melvin Campbell, a Black sergeant, as well as other Black employees whom he felt had undermined him.
"I'm sick of these Black bastards. I'm gonna clean house and be done with it," a transcript of those recordings included in the documents reveal. "...They're gone. I'm telling you. That's as fair as I'm gonna be. ... if they're not with me, they're against me. And they're gone. ... If I have to fire every mother f***er out there, guess what?"
"I'm still the motherf***ing sheriff, and I'll go up and fire every goddamn [inaudible]. F*** them Black bastards," he continued. "They think I'm scared? They're stupid. I don't know what else to do with it. So it's just time to clean them out. There's a snitch in there somewhere tellin' what we are doing. And I'm not gonna have it. ...hell is coming."
The transcript shows Greene continued to say that Campbell and Hatcher would be fired, and that "they're gonna be guilty by f***ing association."
The call, according to Greene in a post on the sheriff's office Facebook page in September, was recorded by his 2022 midterm opponent, Soles, who he said was a captain in Greene's command staff at the time. Greene claims that Soles was "spreading rumors" to "further incite racial division...to pursue his personal agenda." At the time of the post, Greene "adamantly" denied "any racial intent or actions on my part."
The petition states that at least one Black employee at the sheriff's office was fired after that recording.
That petition was filed on October 4. An amended petition filed 16 days later includes further allegations that Greene he had taken part in corruption and willful misconduct, including claims that he had a sexual relationship with a detective who was under his supervision.
In the amended complaint, Soles signed an affidavit in which he states he did not originally intend to record the conversation, but started to do so about 2 minutes in after Greene stated he hates a "Black democrat." He also swore the recording had not been edited.
An amendment to the petitio... by Jamie Boulet
On October 24, Greene resigned from his post, which he had won in November 2018, "due to my love for Columbus County."
He claimed that the allegations are false and "politically motivated," but apologized for his actions.
"This has been a humbling experience," he wrote on Facebook the day he resigned. "I am sincerely sorry for the disrespectful and insensitive words that have offended my friends, colleagues, and fellow citizens. I ask for forgiveness."
In that same post, he said he can't afford to "spend the next week fighting in a courtroom while we are in the middle of an election to preserve our freedom." He said that he was running to make the county "better and safer" for all citizens, and asked followers to "pray for the ones who trespass against me."
The comments have been condemned by multiple groups, including the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, which said that Greene's comments "shock the conscience" and said Greene resigned his membership. The ACLU and NAACP of North Carolina also released a joint statement, saying Columbus County residents "deserve better."
Upon his reelection, Greene posted on Facebook again, saying that the election was "extremely stressful" but that he is honored to be reelected.
"I promise I will not let you down, I am the Sheriff for everyone no matter race, color, religion, sex orientation, or national origin," he said. "Moving forward I ask for your continued prayers and support as we face new challenges in Columbus county. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart."
In:- North Carolina
- Elections
- 2022 Midterm Elections
- Racism
Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.
More from CBS News