Navassa police officer resolves charges through conditional discharge

NAVASSA, NC (WWAY) — A Navassa police officer indicted on multiple charges in New Hanover County has entered a conditional discharge agreement to resolve a case from 2023.

A grand jury indicted Amirabbas Vaziri on charges of willfully failing to discharge duties, assault on a female, and felonious restraint after he arrested a woman outside of Navassa’s jurisdiction on Aug. 17, 2023.

According to the district attorney’s office, Vaziri pleaded guilty to assault on a female and failure to discharge duties, but those charges will be dismissed if he completes 24 hours of community service, obtains a mental health assessment and follows recommended treatment, have no contact with the victim, violate no laws, and permanently surrender his law enforcement certification.

The state dismissed the felony restraint charge as part of the agreement.

“This case centered around allegations that were based upon his jurisdiction to take law enforcement action and not anything other than that,” said Vaziri’s attorney Barry Henline. “Mr. Vaziri believed he was acting under a mutual aid agreement; however, this is an issue that Chief Donnie Williams denied.  At the time Mr. Vaziri felt he was acting under the agreement as there were two Wilmington police officers assisting him in placing the female arrestee in his patrol car and he had knowledge of an active warrant against this individual.”

“While the Navassa Police Department and the Wilmington Police department did have a mutual aid agreement in place, that agreement clearly did not cover  Mr. Vaziri’s unlawful actions and his unlawful arrest of the victim,” the district attorney’s office said.

The district attorney’s office also provided what was read in court during the plea. It reads in part:

The terms of the agreement are very specific and were not in play during the arrest of Ms. Noble. The assistance requested must be made in writing. According to WPD Chief Donnie Williams, the agreement is typically used in situations with DWI checkpoints, special team operations, natural disasters and unique events. For emergencies, it can be verbal communication but must be followed later in writing. The arrest of Ms. Noble was not an emergency situation, nor did WPD ever request the assistance of Navassa or this defendant in writing for the service of a misdemeanor warrant on Ms. Noble. Additionally, all requests made under the agreement have to be executed by the Chief of the requesting agency or his designee if he’s not available. Chief Williams said he was working at the time and that he knew nothing about what had taken place until after this was under investigation. No mutual aid request was ever made by anybody at WPD during this incident.

Henline said Vaziri has accepted responsibility and is expected to complete the conditional discharge requirements.