FIRST ON 3: Sheriff McMahon responds to critical editorial

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – A former New Hanover County deputy charged with a felony still works for the county. This morning the StarNews ran an editorial criticizing Sheriff Ed McMahon for helping Charles Smith get that job. Tonight the sheriff responds to that criticism.

Smith resigned after allegations against him surfaced from a different county. He now works in New Hanover County’s IT department, but the man who recommended him is saying he would have thought differently knowing what he knows now.

Monday the SBI charged Smith for using a government computer to print someone else’s DMV information to get into a night club. Despite the charge Smith still has a job in the county’s information technology department. McMahon says he later recommended Smith after demoting him from corporal and Smith decided to get out of law enforcement.

“When I spoke with the County Manager Bruce Shell, I was not aware of any pending criminal charges against Charles Smith,” McMahon said.

A Friday morning editorial in the StarNews criticized McMahon and Shell for their role in Smith landing the job considering Smith now faces a felony. But the sheriff said the circumstances were different when the move happened.

“I was not aware nor did I expect any criminal charges to come,” he said. “When you ask another agency, when I asked the SBI, the state to investigate I stay totally out of it so I’m not in the loop of what’s going on, and that’s how it should be. I have confidence in the SBI and what the results are is what they are.”

McMahon said asking the SBI to investigate was protocol after learning about allegations about Smith in another county. So now that smith is facing a felony charge would the sheriff still recommended him?

“I hate to look back and second guess myself,” McMahon said. “I rather just speak on this is what the facts were. Of course if I was aware of someone getting criminally charged, you know I would not recommend that person anywhere until after we know what happened.”

We contacted Smith earlier this week to see what he had to say. He told us as much as he would like to give his side, he’ll let his attorneys straighten everything out first.