Bill Rogers appointed acting sheriff in Columbus County

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — During an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Columbus County commissioners appointed Bill Rogers as acting sheriff, following the suspension of Jody Greene.

This stems from racially-charged comments Greene allegedly made in 2019 while he was temporarily suspended from office pending a State Board of Elections inquiry concerning Greene’s residency.

These comments were recorded during a phone conversation with Greene. The SBI is investigating and also provided a copy of the audio recording to District Attorney Jon David.

On Monday, David called for Greene to resign.

On Tuesday, David filed a petition asking for Greene to be suspended from office, which a judge signed off on later that day. On Tuesday night, the Columbus County NAACP met to discuss the alleged remarks from Greene with the community.

Rogers just retired from the North Carolina Highway Patrol on Friday after a 22-year career. Before that, he worked at the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Corrections.

After the meeting, WWAY spoke to Rogers about what he wants the people of Columbus County to know as he takes office.

“They can rest assured I’m going to do what’s right. Integrity is the most important thing you can have doing this job. I’ve done it my whole career and I’ve had a good career in it,” Rogers said. “They can rest assured and if they have any questions they can contact me or contact the office and I will get back with them and talk with them.”

Rogers will remain in office until Greene’s suspension is lifted or a new sheriff is elected.