Republican North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris is calling on Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden to resign or take a leave of absence over allegations he threatened a state lawmaker.
In a letter, Harris said “grave and mounting” accusations against McFadden have eroded public confidence and justify his departure amid an ongoing investigation. (RELATED: Sanctuary Sheriff Under Investigation For Alleged Extortion, Corruption)
The allegations stem from a phone call McFadden allegedly made to Democratic North Carolina state Rep. Carla Cunningham ahead of a vote on House Bill 318, which requires sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). McFadden warned that county residents would “come after” her for supporting the bill and “intuited” he would withhold protection if she didn’t oppose it, Cunningham said.
Sheriff Garry McFadden Letter by ashley
The letter references a court petition filed Monday by five former employees seeking McFadden’s removal. The petition accuses him of misusing county resources, including directing deputies to drive visiting National Sheriffs Association officials to bars and strip clubs in county vehicles while on duty. It also alleges McFadden used county credit cards for flight and hotel upgrades.
Among the petitioners is former sergeant Marcia Crenshaw Hill, who was stabbed by an inmate in 2020 and later terminated. She alleged McFadden created dangerous conditions at the detention center. Former chief deputy Kevin Canty, who resigned in November 2024, claimed McFadden pressured him to recommend unjustified employee terminations. Former captain Juan Delgado and former major Bryan Adams raised additional concerns about policy violations and workplace favoritism.
INBOX: @ncga House Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) is one of several parties who have signed a petition to remove Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden from office “for attempted extortion and corruption, willful misconduct and maladministration in office, and willful… pic.twitter.com/jPnviUed2q
— A.P. Dillon (@APDillon_) January 5, 2026
McFadden dismissed the allegations as “lies” and a “smear campaign designed just before the election” during a Tuesday press conference at the Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center. He said he welcomed a State Bureau of Investigation review.
District Attorney Spencer Merriweather requested the SBI investigation Monday to determine whether McFadden committed any crimes. The SBI confirmed its professional standards unit would investigate, according to The Charlotte Observer. (RELATED: Sheriff Says Real Victims Of Charlie Kirk, Iryna Zarutska’s Murders Are Actually Judges)
🚨#BREAKING: It has been revealed that Democrat Charlotte NC Sheriff, Garry McFadden, who refused to cooperate with ICE/Border Patrol on deportations of illegal immigrants…
…used his OWN police officers to transport political officials to strip clubs and topless bars pic.twitter.com/qGyUFN3KLQ
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) January 7, 2026
The petition also accuses McFadden of retaliating against employees and having IT staff work on his campaign website during work hours.
McFadden was elected in 2018 on a promise to limit cooperation with ICE on deportations. His office has maintained that stance despite a recent state law, House Bill 318, requiring sheriffs to cooperate with the agency.
Federal agents from Customs and Border Protection conducted raids across Charlotte and Mecklenburg County last week, arrested over 350 people in “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” according to CNN.
ICE highlighted McFadden’s non-cooperation stance in 2020 by putting up billboards across Charlotte featuring individuals the agency said had criminal records, were in the U.S. illegally, and were released by the jail instead of being transferred to ICE custody. The billboards claimed to “educate the public about the dangers of non-cooperation policies.”
Mecklenburg County is also where Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed on the Charlotte rail line in September 2025. (RELATED: North Carolina ‘Iryna’s Law’ Takes Effect, Cracking Down On Repeat Offenders)
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
