Murphy – Justin Jacobs has had a long and noteworthy career in law enforcement and is, for now, in charge of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. However, for the past week he’s been clearing out his office.
Jacobs is chief deputy of the sheriff’s office, an executive over day-to-day operations at the 82-person organization that provides patrol, criminal and narcotics investigations; court bailiffs and criminal and pre-trial detention facility; as well as administrative services, including process services and fingerprinting.
His jurisdiction is a 467-square-mile county bordering two states with around 30,000 residents. None of that has changed, but Jacobs has more on his plate today.
On Feb. 6, his boss, Dustin Smith, resigned as sheriff after he received a letter from District Attorney Ashley Welch criticizing his administration for “repeated negative attention surrounding the Office of the Sheriff of Cherokee County” and negative impacts on court cases that “bring the Office of Sheriff into disrepute.”
“I also have grave concerns that the loss of confidence put law enforcement at risk in an already very dangerous profession,” Welch said in her letter, dated Jan. 28.
“You have several officers who are very good, work hard, are honest, and do the right things for the right reasons. The lack of trust and confidence has the possibility to spread to the entire department and that is not fair. I see fear and very low morale in your department.”
Saying writing the letter brought her “incredible sadness,” Welch wrote, “My hope is that you will recognize the harm that is being done and that you will make the decision to resign. Your oath requires you to put the needs of your community above yourself.
“Resigning allows you to do the right thing and prevent a removal petition that lists all the evidence and proof into the public record,” she advised.
Smith did resign, retiring to trigger a two-tier process to secure leadership of the sheriff’s office until the winner of the Tuesday, March 3, Republican primary takes office on Dec. 1 – Chris Wood or Sam May, the remaining candidates seeking the job. Smith’s resignation also signaled that he was dropping out of his re-election bid.
The first tier involves continued daily operations at the sheriff’s office and involves Jacobs.
“Chief Deputy Jacobs remains as chief deputy and he will ‘discharge the duties of sheriff’ until a new sheriff is appointed, but chief deputy Jacobs retains his original position as chief deputy and acquires the additional duties and authority of the Office of Sheriff,” said Eddie Caldwell Jr., executive vice president and general counsel of the N.C. Sheriffs’ Association.
Justin Jacobs, deputy chief
Jacobs, 51, has a career in law enforcement spanning 23 years, including 16 as chief of the Murphy Police Department. While there, he worked up through the ranks, starting as a graveyard shift dispatcher, then patrol officer, investigator, assistant chief and then chief. In that role, Smith was Jacobs’ assistant chief, with the two switching positions when Smith was elected sheriff in 2022.
How long Jacobs will remain in that position will depend on the second tier, but he’s not taking any chances. He has spent the last week tidying up his office, removing his personal belongings and preparing the sheriff’s office for the next step.
“Civil process service, barking dogs, reports of larceny – the world still goes on regardless of who the sheriff is,” Jacobs told the Cherokee Scout on Monday morning.
The second tier
The other tier involves the Cherokee County Republican Party Executive Committee. Because Smith was elected as a Republican, “the responsibility to fill this vacancy rests with the Cherokee County Republican Party,” Cherokee County GOP Chair Mark Kephart said in a statement.
The GOP Executive Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Educate for Success Building, 315 Family Church Road in Peachtree for the purpose of filling this vacancy. The committee will take nominations from the floor. However, to be considered, each candidate must submit a complete packet that includes:
- A Board of Elections application;
- A current resume;
- A criminal background check.
Submission of materials prior to Thursday is strongly preferred. Candidates may submit materials the night of the meeting; however, any incomplete packet will result in the candidate not being considered.
Anyone wishing to be considered should email cherokeecountyncgop11@gmail.com to request the required packet.
During the meeting, the Executive Committee will ask questions of each candidate, allow time for discussion, and then proceed to a vote. All actions will be conducted in accordance with North Carolina law. Once a decision is made, the Executive Committee will forward its recommendation to the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.
For its part, the board of commissioners has scheduled a special called meeting for 5:30 p.m. Friday to accept a letter of recommendation from the Cherokee County Republican Party for filling a vacancy in the office of sheriff. The appointed sheriff will hold office until the winner of the general election is seated on Dec. 1.
Jacobs, a Republican, said he is not applying for the interim sheriff position. Challenger Chris Wood said he would apply and went so far as to name Joe Wood his future chief deputy, with the latter Wood resigning from a similar role in Clay County.
Jacobs said he would help out in the transition, fully expecting that whoever becomes sheriff will appoint another chief deputy.
“I’ll be there to help them,” he said.