ROBBINSVILLE, Graham County – The Board of Aldermen granted Robbinsville Mayor Shaun Adams a three-month leave of absence on Tuesday following his arrests on Monday on multiple drug-related felony charges.
Adams was free on bond and presided over Tuesday's board meeting, which included aldermen Brenda Norville, Johnnie William and Jacky Ayers, who is also mayor pro tem. Early in the meeting, during the "Mayor's Update" item on the agenda, Adams said he is not guilty of the charges and alleged his two arrests early Monday were in response to animosity between him and the sheriff's office since early July.
Board Attorney Amy Merrill cut him off, advising him that he could only speak about issues before the board. A news conference was held after the meeting with Merrill answering questions, as Adams left through a different door and left.
During Adams' leave of absence, Ayers will serve as acting mayor.
A Graham County Sheriff's Office deputy conducted a traffic stop after observing a vehicle cross the center line early Monday. During the investigation, the passenger, Shaun Larry Adams, 46, of Robbinsville, was found to be in possession of a concealed firearm, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Adams was charged with:
- Misdemeanor Carrying a Concealed Firearm
- Felony Possession of Cocaine
- Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
The driver, Tanya Dawn Everett, 46, of Maryville, Tenn., was arrested on an outstanding warrant. She was also issued a citation for Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) and received a warning for driving left of center. Sheriff Russell W. Moody said she apparently jumped bail and her whereabouts were unknown.
Adams posted $1,000 bond but didn't get far.
As a result of the investigation, deputies obtained and executed a search warrant at Adams' Robbinsville residence on Lon Brown Road a short time later. During the search, investigators located additional illegal narcotics. Adams was subsequently charged with:
- Felony Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (42.1 grams of methamphetamine)
- Felony Possession of Methamphetamine
- Felony Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell, or Deliver a Schedule II Controlled Substance
- Felony Trafficking in Methamphetamine
- Two counts of Felony Maintaining a Vehicle, Dwelling, or Place for Controlled Substances
He was released on $100,000 secured bond after being released on a $1,000 bond.
The Graham County Sheriff's Office remains committed to aggressively investigating illegal narcotics activity and holding those who traffic dangerous drugs accountable, according to a news release.
"No one is above the law," Sheriff Moody said. "It does not matter who you are or what position you hold, if there is probable cause that a crime has been committed, the Graham County Sheriff's Office will investigate and take the appropriate enforcement action. We remain committed to enforcing the law fairly, impartially, and equally for everyone."
The animosity Adams referred to started just after midnight on July 4, when Adams was stopped and cited for having an un-illuminated license plate on his car, an infraction. He was also charged with failing to show his driver's license, a misdemeanor if convicted. He was scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Two days later on July 6, Adams said he went to the sheriff's office to file a complaint against Sheriff Moody, without elaborating. He said Moody shoved him out of the building.
Moody, for his part, said he escorted a belligerent individual out of the building and denied shoving Adams.
Before that, on May 18, Adams was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of holding a fictitious or altered title, registration card or tag. A disposition for that case is also scheduled for Friday.
Town Attorney Merrill said the three months leave of absence will allow time for the situation to become more clear. Sometimes charges are dropped or plea bargains are struck, and she said the town wants the judicial system time to do its work.
She said the town's Board of Aldermen had five options for dealing with a situation like this:
- Vote of no confidence, which at worst could include a request for him to resign.
- Stripping privileges and responsibilities, although the board has already removed him from handling day-to-day operations and from his position as budget officer.
- Amotion, a sort-of nuclear option that gets the court system involved and used in cases so severe as to challenge the integrity of the government process.
- Recall, a process that gets state government involved and results in a recall election.
- Mentally incapable, which would require a motion and unanimous vote of the board (Adams only votes in the event of a tie).
Adams is well into his second term as mayor after serving as an alderman. His next court date for the drug case is set for Aug. 10.
His stormy time as mayor followed a period as alderman when he simply stopped attending meetings. He beat the incumbent mayor and presided over a first term with turmoil (a stormy exit by a finance officer and a falling out with his own board) and achievement (a long empty industrial site – one of the largest in the region – was to reopen and hire hundreds). Adams went on to win his second term election.