OAKBORO, N.C. — There's an update to a story WCNC Charlotte has followed for months: the Oakboro Police Department will soon have just two officers on the job.
WCNC Charlotte obtained a contract between the city of Oakboro and the Stanly County Sheriff's Office outlining an agreement to ensure the town will still be patrolled. But WCNC Charlotte spoke to town leaders and some residents who said something isn't adding up.
Andrew Mullis has lived in Oakboro all his life. He's now raising a family of his own here. Recently, he said the once robust Oakboro Police Department that he grew up with has continued to lose officers.
"It seems to us as citizens that something shady is going on," Mullis said. "The town has basically taken the police department -- one of the best in this county -- and thrown it away. They have not allowed any applications to be pursued, any interviews to be done.”
Confirmed through town leaders, WCNC Charlotte learned the town has five officers left. Three of them put in their notice this week, leaving two to serve the town.
Law enforcement agreement between town of Oakboro, Stanly County
For months, the town has worked with the Stanly County Sheriff's Office and has brought in deputies to fill the shifts. Recently, there's been talks of disbanding the entire department. Town leaders were met with pushback at a July 2024 town meeting.
At that meeting, a comment was made that didn't sit well with some, including Mullis. A different resident sent WCNC Charlotte an audio recording from that meeting and said Oakboro Mayor Pro Tem Brett Barbee made a shocking statement.
"That’s a savings of $274,00 a year -- that could be used to having a splash pad," Barbee appears to say.
During that July meeting, the Town voted to move forward with keeping the department and was committed to staffing it. A call to hire a police chief and other officers was plastered on the town website. But weeks later, there was news of a contract.
"They voted to go into those contacts," Mullis said.
A source showed WCNC Charlotte reporter Austin Walker a draft of a contract. It's unsigned but confirms the conversation. Oakboro Mayor Christopher Hunneycutt is listed on it. WCNC Charlotte reached out to town leadership for more details. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
At the Tuesday, August 27th council meeting the board unanimously agreed to move forward with entering into contractual negotiations with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement protection. This comes in lieu of the majority of the current police officers submitting their letters of resignation. These officers have chosen to move forward with their careers and the town fully supports those officers and their families.
The town board members want the community to know that our town is not going without law enforcement protection.
Since May the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office has been assisting with coverage and they assure us they will continue to provide coverage until a contract can be reached.
Building any department takes time and it should be done with solid intention through quality recruitment and selection of staffing.
Moving forward the town board will do our very best to keep you informed on this progress.
WCNC Charlotte asked if someone was free for an interview to answer more questions beyond the statement. No one was available.
Mullis said if Stanly County took over the town, then he wouldn't concerned about safety and puts immense trust in the deputies serving. Stanly County Sheriff Jeff Crisco said this idea is not new.
"18 months ago, Baden police went through a period where they were short-staffed staffed and we were supplying them with supplemental coverage," Crisco said. "We’d make every resource available to help.”
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.