By Dave Faherty, for WSOC
Brookford Police Chief Willie Armstrong turned himself in to authorities in Catawba County Wednesday afternoon after a grand jury indicted him on charges that he destroyed evidence in a criminal case.
Those charges include altering or destroying criminal evidence and willful failure to discharge his duties.
Minutes after Armstrong’s arrest, Channel 9’s Dave Faherty went to the Brookford Town Hall with the two indictments and asked if he was still the chief of police.
An employee told Faherty late Wednesday afternoon that the chief has been placed on paid administrative leave until the next board meeting in two weeks.
The grand jury indictments said Armstrong failed to preserve evidence in an audio recording he’s accused of making in a more than 30-year-old cold case homicide of Dee Dee Dawkins.
The 13-year-old’s body was found along the Henry Fork River in Brookford in 1992.
Court documents state Armstrong went to the resident William Crooks’ home last fall and purposefully left his cellphone behind to record Crooks to see if he called anyone after leaving.
“I’d say, ‘Why, man? Are you trying to get me for something I didn’t do? You can’t prove it because there was nothing there to get,’” said Crooks.
Crooks denies any involvement in the Dawkins slaying.
Armstrong said he believes the investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation is politically motivated and that agents executed the search warrant shortly after he announced plans to run for sheriff, posting a video online.
“Because I said I’m running for sheriff, they leveraged this poor little girl’s case against me and this family, who all they wanted was justice,” Armstrong said in the video.
Channel 9 has learned a deputy alerted state investigators about concerns over Armstrong, but that was months before his announcement to run for sheriff.
The SBI told Channel 9 that agents tried to execute the search warrant weeks earlier, but Armstrong was out of town.
The sheriff’s office sent a statement saying any claims of misconduct by Armstrong are completely without merit.
Armstrong’s attorney also released a statement, saying:
“Brookford Police Chief Willie Armstrong has never altered, destroyed, or stolen evidence. Chief Armstrong has never failed to discharge his duties as a law enforcement officer. Willie Armstrong has spent the last eight years serving as an EMT and law enforcement officer, seeking nothing more than to work hard and protect others with integrity and compassion. It is apparent that the decision to charge Chief Armstrong is neither rooted in the law nor supported by credible evidence. Chief Armstrong eagerly awaits his trial date and looks forward to all facts related to these charges being brought to light.”