Former sergeant files lawsuit, claims he was terminated from Columbus County Sheriff’s Office over race
COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A former sergeant is suing the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, former Sheriff Jody Greene, and current Sheriff Bill Rogers.
Melvin Campbell is claiming Jody Greene fired him in January 2019 because of his race.
According to the lawsuit filed in federal court, shortly after taking office in 2018, Sheriff Greene demoted Black employees on his command staff.
Not long after that, on January 28, 2019, Campbell, who is a Black man, was called into Chief Deputy Aaron Herring’s office and terminated.
The suit says “Campbell had never received any discipline or warnings regarding his performance during his time working under Greene. When Campbell asked Herring why he was
being discharged, Herring repeated that his services were no longer required.”
In 2022, the SBI opened an investigation into the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and gave the District Attorney’s office a recording of a phone conversation between Greene and Jason Soles, who at the time was a captain of the investigations division.
During the call, Green told Soles he believed there was a leak at the sheriff’s office and that Campbell and other Black employees sought to undermine his authority.
During that call, Greene allegedly made the following racist remarks:
“I’m sick of it. I’m sick of these Black b*******. I’m gonna clean house and be done with it. And we’ll start from there.”
“Tomorrow’s gonna be a new f******* day. I’m still the mother******* sheriff, and I’ll go up and fire every ******* [inaudible]. F*** them Black b*******. They think I’m scared? They’re stupid. I just don’t know what else to do with it. So it’s just time to clean them out.”
“Melvin Campbell, Lewis Hatcher they’re fired. They’re gonna be guilty by f****** association.”
“I ain’t gonna have it. I’m gonna cut the snake’s f****** head off. Period . . . And Melvin Campbell is as big a snake as Lewis Hatcher ever dared to be. Every Black that I know, you need to fire him to start with, he’s a snake!”
In October of 2022, the District Attorney’s office filed a petition for removal, but as the case went to court, Greene resigned. He won re-election in 2022 and was sworn into office.
The District Attorney’s office filed another petition for removal and in this petition, the State alleged that Green “personally, and through the direction of those under his command, engaged in racial profiling of Columbus County Sheriff’s Office employees.”
When Greene appeared in court for a hearing on the petition, he resigned again.
Bill Rogers, who was appointed sheriff after Greene resigned the first time, was once again appointed Sheriff of Columbus County.
The suit claims there was no nondiscriminatory reason to terminate Campbell’s employment in January of 2019.
Campbell is asking for a jury trial and is seeking lost wages and benefits, compensatory damages, liquidated damages and punitive damages.
