Columbus County deputy fired, investigation underway

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A deputy with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office has been fired.

Sheriff Lewis Hatcher fired deputy James Norris, 31, on Tuesday.

Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Michele Tatum said there was an incident in Tabor City involving James’s wife, Linda Norris, 41.  Tatum says Linda Norris called 911 as a call for service, after being involved in a car accident on Dothan Road in Tabor City around 10 p.m. on September 1.

Tatum says Norris alleged an incident occurred while she was getting inside a vehicle and she was injured.

The NC Highway Patrol responded to the accident. The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating her alleged injury.

Afterward, Linda Norris did not want to come forward with charges, Tatum said, but because of the incident, evidence will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

Tatum says Norris’s firing was at the discretion of the sheriff and not related to the investigation involving Linda Norris. The Sheriff’s Office could not say how or if James Norris was a part of that incident involving his wife.

James Norris was hired in April of 2010. He was suspended in 2014 without pay for an internal investigation, but was reinstated without a loss of pay or demotion, Tatum said.

According to a story in May of 2014, Norris and his then-girlfriend Linda Russ were involved in a domestic situation, which led to his suspension.