Haywood County Sheriff's:NCSBI assist in Criminal Investigation of former Detective

HAYWOOD COUNTY -- The following was posted on they Haywood County Sheriff's Office Face Book this morning.

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to conduct a criminal investigation into a former HCSO detective’s activities as well as an outside consultant to oversee a complete inventory and audit of the Office’s evidence room.

Kevin Smathers was terminated from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office on August 30, 2018. Smathers began his employment with the office in 2007 and began working as a detective in 2015. As a detective, he primarily worked property crimes cases and was never assigned to the drug task force during his tenure.

Smathers allegedly accessed the evidence room without authority on a number of occasions taking various items.

“This situation is devastating for so many people -- for the employees of this Office who work incredibly hard every day to meet high performance standards this line of work requires, and for our citizens who place their trust in law enforcement to help them when they are in need,” said Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher.

“We ask the citizens of our county who have placed their trust in our Office to remember this deeply concerning situation does not align in any way with the ethics and integrity of this office,” said Sheriff Christopher. “We will continue to work diligently in our communities to cultivate trust and partnerships that enhance the quality of life for our citizens.”

The District Attorney’s Office is also working closely with the Sheriff’s Office and the SBI in this matter.