Resident urges SBI probe and financial audit of Pitt County Sheriff’s Office

Jerry Fisher of Harrell Street told the Pitt County Board of Commissioners that a resignation letter submitted on Jan. 4 had drawn widespread attention online and raised concerns about the Sheriff’s Department’s operations. "When the Sheriff’s Department is doing things outlined in the letter and nothing is done about it then lawsuits come about," Fisher said, and he asked the board to "call the State Bureau of Investigation and have an independent investigation done" and to order a financial audit of the department.

County Attorney Matt Gibson read the board’s public‑comment rules before Fisher spoke and reminded speakers to state their names and addresses. Fisher also said his website showed 46,569 views of the resignation letter as of 5:37 p.m. on the meeting date and said citizens deserved protection from coverups. He said the county has sometimes had to cover insurance for the Sheriff’s Department where the department could not obtain it on its own.

No member of the board made a formal motion to initiate an SBI investigation or a county financial audit during the meeting. The public comment occurred during the board’s public‑addresses period, and the board did not take immediate action on Fisher’s specific requests during the Feb. 16 session. The board did approve a separate budget amendment related to Sheriff service contracts during the meeting after discussion about how those contract revenues and expenditures are recorded and covered in the county budget.

The board did not provide an official response or timeline for any independent probe or audit during the meeting; any request to a state agency or an internal audit would require later action by the board or staff.