Despite the controversy surrounding him, including calls for his resignation, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has won the Democratic primary and re-election, as there were no Republican candidates running in the race.
He had 34% (33,422 votes), followed by his closest challenger, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police sergeant Ricky Riccardo Robbins with 31% (30,705 votes). Rodney Collins, former chief deputy, came in third with 27% (26,526 votes), and former detention officer Antwain Nance had 8% (8,256 votes).
First elected to office in 2018, McFadden’s tenure has been contentious.
In 2022, for the second time in two years, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’sOffice, led by McFadden, was sued over delays in processing concealed-handgun and pistol-purchase permit applications.
In 2024, the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) issued a statement condemning the allegations of recorded comments by McFadden, calling his words “inflammatory, racially derogatory, insulting, and offensive.”
Chief Deputy Kevin Canty of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office resigned from his position accusing McFadden of creating a “toxic and abusive work environment” according to an interview with WBTV.
“I think the way that he treats employees is deplorable. He bullies employees; he threatens employees,” Canty said. “I think that there are people in this county who would be or who are much more qualified to be sheriff of Mecklenburg County than him.”
In audio recordings produced by Canty, McFadden can allegedly be heard using racially charged language to describe both white and black officers in the department.
In January, a Superior Court judge dismissed a petition to remove McFadden from office. Judge Stuart Albright indicated in court earlier that day that he could not move forward without the petition having approval from the DA or county attorney.
Albright dismissed the petition “without prejudice.” That means McFadden’s critics could try again with a new complaint.
State Rep. Carla Cunningham, of Mecklenburg, was one of five petitioners seeking McFadden’s removal. McFadden and Cunningham are both Democrats.
The petition filed Jan. 5 sought McFadden’s removal for attempted extortion and corruption, “willful misconduct and maladministration in office, and willful and habitual refusal to perform the duties of his office.” Under North Carolina law, an elected sheriff can be removed only through a court process and if allegations are proven.
McFadden was among the five county sheriffs who refused to honor federal ICE detainers. Cunningham was the sole Democrat in the House to both sponsor and vote for HB 318’s passage. Cunningham claimed in the petition that McFadden threatened her personal safety in connection with her work as a legislator. After Stein vetoed the measure, but before the state House considered a vote to override the veto, Cunningham and McFadden spoke on the phone in July.
In February, at a House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing, lawmakers grilled McFadden and other Charlotte and Mecklenburg County leaders over the light-rail killing of Iryna Zarutska, jail deaths, and opposition to a new state criminal justice law.
The Mecklenburg County sheriff repeatedly deflected questions, citing an ongoing State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) probe into allegations of attempted extortion, corruption, willful misconduct, and maladministration, allegations used in the dismissed removal petition.
State Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, chairman of the oversight committee, asked the sheriff a series of hypothetical questions regarding departmental scenarios, which McFadden refused to answer, leading Jones to remark, “Let the record reflect that the gentleman refuses to answer.”
The North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 307, known as Iryna’s Law, in September 2025. The wide-ranging criminal justice reform strengthens pretrial release requirements for violent offenders, ends cashless bail, and creates new procedures for ordering mental health evaluations within the criminal justice system.
At a recent primary debate in Charlotte, McFadden called the new state law a “mistake” that “has done no good,” comments Jones quickly seized on.
“Do you still stand by those statements today?” Jones asked.
McFadden responded, “In answering that question, I do stand by my statement.”
McFadden claimed the comments were taken out of context but refused to answer Jones’ question about his support for the state law.
Officials also raised concerns about 21 deaths in Mecklenburg County detention centers since Garry McFadden took office in 2018, and staffing and recruitment within his department.