Sheriff to assign detective to focus on gun crime

Janet Imrick

Randolph Hub

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office will send a deputy to work directly with federal officials as party of a multi-county effort to catch guns used for crimes. Sheriff Greg Seabolt will assign a detective to serve as an ATF Task Force Officer (TFO).

ATF Resident in Charge Jason Walsh, Asheboro Police Chief Robbie Brown and District Attorney Andy Gregson joined Seabolt in making the request to the Randolph County Board of Commissioners at their meeting on Nov. 4.

Seabolt talked about a deadly shooting just south of Randolph County in which Kevin Ratliff-Lofton of Philadelphia is charged with first degree murder for the death of Victor Murray at a Walmart in Biscoe on Nov. 2. 

“We don’t ever want to plan for something of that nature,” Seabolt said. “In order to get ahead of it, I think we need to be proactive and work with Project Safe Neighborhood and the district attorney to try and head it off at the pass.”

Gregson shared one incident where a gun recovered from a crime scene was connected to drive-by shootings in five counties.

“What we have discovered with PSN is we don’t have a local crime problem with guns and gunbangers and shooters. We have a regional problem,” he said. “It feels like we just chipped away the facade of it, and there’s a lot underneath that needs to be dealt with.”

The sheriff’s office is following the lead of Asheboro Police, which also has a TFO collaborating with the Federal Project Safe Neighborhood program (PSN) to try and deter violent crimes.

“Crime is not bound by jurisdictional limits,” Walsh said. The ATF’s ballistic investigations show, he said, that guns regularly move across county lines for the commission of violent crimes.

Commissioner Hope Haywood asked for some of the numbers from PSN. Chief Brown said since Master Police Officer Matthew Kiser became a TFO in 2019, he has worked on 15 federal cases and indicted 28 defendants.

“I can stand up here for a long time and tell you how happy we are with this process,” Brown said. “I certainly believe you would be happy with this officer.”

Commissioners voted to allot $76,767 from the General Fund for the TFO’s $40,770 salary, insurance, retirement benefits, uniform and equipment.

6 RCSO positions approved for Ramseur

At the meeting, commissioners also approved six sheriff’s office positions for Ramseur.

Seabolt said the town approved an agreement for one deputy sheriff sergeant, four deputy sheriffs and a clerk to handle patrols, calls, investigations and general assistance. Ramseur will reimburse the county for the $477,634 it will cost for salaries, uniforms, equipment and operational expenses for the rest of the fiscal year.

Vehicle and equipment purchases

Lt. Col. Steven Nunn sought $352,600.40 for eight new 2025 Ford Police Interceptors. He also asked for funding for new equipment they use for criminal investigations. He told commissioners they need to replace devices that are nearing the end of their lifespans:

- 3 Livescan replacement machines.

- 6 LPR cameras.

- 4 pole cameras.

- Forenscope super-spectral imaging system.

- 3 StarWitness field interviewers.

Altogether, the equipment will cost $238,520. Nunn said they can pay for them with law enforcement restricted funds.

Commissioners approved those, along with two new ambulances. Emergency Services Chief Donovan Davis said the ambulances are ready to go on a lot in Roebuck, SC, for a cost of $663,432. He said they would ease the strain on the current fleet, as there has been a delay on vehicles they purchased as far back as 2022.