Suspended Chadbourn police chief resigns

CHADBOURN, N.C. (WECT) - Chadbourn Police Chief Anthony Spivey, who was suspended last month after he allegedly was unable to produce evidence in multiple cases, has resigned, according to Chadbourn Mayor Phillip Britt.

Spivey was placed on paid administrative leave March 5 after District Attorney Jon David recommended that the town suspend him due to issues with the police department’s evidence locker.

“Chief Anthony Spivey turned in his resignation to the Town Of Chadbourn effective 4/6/2021,” Britt told WECT. “I would also like to say that the Town Of Chadbourn would like to wish him well in the future and we appreciate his service to the town.”

Spivey had served as chief of police for Chadbourn since 2018.

In a letter sent to Interim Town Manager Jerome Chestnut on March 4, David said that the town’s police department had “neglected to send any narcotics for chemical analysis to the State Crime Lab for a substantial period of time.”

“I have come to learn that (name redacted)’s inability to follow through with the request to submit narcotics for testing has resulted in the dismissal of a number of felony cases,” the letter states.

Editor’s note: While names were redacted in the letter, David confirmed to WECT that Spivey was the subject of the letter.

The letter also details a meeting on Feb. 26 between Spivey and two Assistant District Attorneys where the police chief said he did not have keys to the evidence locker and asked the prosecutors to return on March 1.

“Despite being at your department for over three hours on Monday, (name redacted), who maintains sole control of the evidence locker, was unable to produce drugs, money, and guns connected to several cases, " the letter states. “Acting on this information we subpoenaed (name redacted) to come to court on (March 4) to produce the evidence. (Name redacted) was over one hour late to this meeting and upon his arrival indicated that he was missing a substantial amount of requested evidence to include a firearm.

“Moreover, a review of what evidence he brought gave my prosecutors serious concerns about the possibility that the evidence had been tampered.”

Last month, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) confirmed to WECT its agents are investigating allegations of misconduct at the Chadbourn Police Department.

In response to Spivey’s resignation, District Attorney Jon David issued the following statement to WECT:

“The SBI investigation is comprehensive and ongoing. I will have no further comment until the investigation is complete and my office is able to evaluate whether anyone should be charged criminally.”

Copyright 2021 WECT. All rights reserved.