LINCOLNTON, N.C. — A former Catawba County Sheriff's candidate can no longer work in law enforcement after pleading guilty to stalking an ex-girlfriend by using a GPS tracking device belonging to the county's narcotics unit.
Jason Reid, a former Catawba County Sheriff's captain and the son of former Sheriff Coy Reid, received 30 months probation, 240 hours of community service and an order to relinquish his law enforcement license following a plea agreement with prosecutors on Monday.
Reid used a GPS tracking device, which belonged to the narcotics unit he supervised, to follow, stalk and harass his ex-girlfriend after she broke up with him back in 2017.
Boz Zellinger, a special prosecutor with the North Carolina Attorney General's office, said detectives at the sheriff's office initially didn't cooperate with the investigation out of fear of retaliation from Reid's father, Sheriff Coy Reid.
Zellinger added Reid's actions caused stress to the victim.
"This woman has been through a lot where she's only 25-years-old and has been scorned throughout her community," Zellinger said.
Reid's attorney, David Teddy, described the hearing as a sad day for his client and for law enforcement.
"The sad part is he spent his whole life on that side of the table trying to improve the lives of citizens," Teddy said.
Reid's also prohibited from ever contacting the victim.