MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — For the second time in seven days, a deputy with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office has been fired.
MCSO said a detention officer was arrested and has been accused of bringing contraband into the county detention center.
Detention Officer Melissa Gordon had been employed with MCSO since January 2020, but her employment ended on March 21, 2024, following an investigation into allegations against her.
Her arrest comes just days after another MCSO deputy, Deputy James Scott, was fired after being accused of domestic violence. Scott was arrested on March 16 by the Iredell County Sheriff's Office. He had been employed by MCSO since September 2022, but was fired on March 19, 2024.
Sheriff Garry McFadden provided the following statement regarding Gordon's arrest.:
"The operation of a facility like Detention Center-Central presents innumerable challenges on the best of days. Almost all of these are challenges we accept and embrace at MCSO. But when a staff member violates their oath and the trust I placed in them, it creates a challenge that is unacceptable and intolerable. I must acknowledge that Ms. Gordon is not alone, as within the past year I have been required to terminate additional Detention Center-Central staff for engaging in inappropriate conduct with residents. The public should know, however, that the vast majority of those hundreds of detention officers and civilians who work, day-in and day-out at Detention Center-Central are dedicated public servants who take their oaths and that trust seriously and to heart, and of whom I am immeasurably proud. Their commitment to MCSO and to our community should not be tarnished by the criminal conduct of a few. MCSO remains committed to upholding the safety and security of Detention Center-Central, and to protecting the well-being of those in our care.”