
OXFORD
Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins was indicted Monday on two counts of felony obstruction of justice amid allegations he discussed killing a former deputy who had a recording of him using âracially insensitive language.â
Wilkins, who has served since 2009, was indicted after a recorded conversation with a âwell-knownâ person who threatened a former deputy, Joshua Freeman, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Monday.
During the August 2014 conversation, court records said, Wilkins indicated he thought Joshua Freeman would soon release an audio recording of him using âracially insensitive languageâ to authorities in Raleigh.
The sheriff advised the person he was speaking with to âtake care of itâ and said âthe only way you gonna stop him is kill him,â adding instructions on how to commit the murder without being identified, court records stated,
âYou ainât got the weapon, you ainât got nothing to go on,â Wilkins said, according to court records. âThe only way we find out these murder things is people talk. You canât tell nobody, not a thing.â
In that conversation, Wilkins also heard specific threats to kill his former deputy at a particular time and place but did not warn the officer or take any action, court records stated.
Court documents said Wilkins did so âin secrecy and malice, with deceit and intent to defraud.â
âThe defendant failed to properly execute his duties because of his personal animosity towards Joshua Freeman,â the indictment stated, âwho defendant was told had expressed an intention to publicly disclose a purported audio recording of the defendant using racially offensive language.â READ MORE…