Latest news with #UnionCountySheriff
Daily Mail
12-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Outrage as cop who was accused of torturing K-9 dog lands new job as a sheriff's deputy
A North Carolina sheriff's office has been slammed after hiring a deputy who resigned from another department after he was accused of torturing a police K-9 dog. Deputy James Hampton quit the Salisbury Police Department in 2021 after viral footage appeared to show him dangling a police dog named Zuul by its leash, slamming it against a patrol car and hitting it. The incident, which was filmed during a training session, sparked nationwide outrage at the time. More than 93,000 people signed the petition demanding his termination. WCNC revealed that Hampton was quietly sworn in last month as a deputy for the Union County Sheriff's Office. The move has angered activists, the public and local residents. 'There is no scenario where hitting, slamming and choking a dog is called for,' Rachel Bellis of PETA told the outlet. 'You can see the other officers scrambling to turn off their cameras. I'm sure they must've known that this was not the correct behavior to have with that dog.' Union County resident Angel Thompson said she is concerned about the agency's hiring standards: '[It] makes me question a lot of things. If you're going to hire somebody like that, what kind of other stuff are you willing to overlook. It's a stressful thing.' has reached out to the Union County Sheriff's Office for comment. There had been no response at the time of writing. In 2021 the Salisbury Police Department shared in a press release that Officer Hampton had tendered his resignation before the department formalized any potential disciplinary action against him. The department announced that it was naming Hampton in a bid 'to restore and maintain the public confidence that has been detrimentally affected by this incident.' An 'extensive investigation' was conducted at the time by the US ISS Agency, a third-party watchdog, which determined that Hampton acted in 'a manner entirely inconsistent with his K-9 training and had violated police department policy.' The agency recommended that Hampton be terminated. A due process hearing did take place for the officer before he submitted his resignation. The department added then that it will continue to review and make changes to their k-9 training operations, policies and procedures. Footage of the incident, which is almost a minute long, shows the dog exit the car and get immediately scolded by the handler. The officer then puts the leash on the dog before picking it up and dragging the German Shepherd over his shoulder. He proceeds to slam the dog into the side of the patrol car before putting the K-9 inside the vehicle. 'We're good, no witnesses,' the man says with a chuckle before repeatedly inquiring whether the other officers at the scene have their cameras on. At one point in the clip it appears that the officer strikes the dog.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Fox News
'Lawn guy' accused of throwing party at former client's home while they were on vacation: 'Epic failures'
A North Carolina landscaper found himself in the weeds after allegedly throwing a large party at a previous customer's home. 37-year-old Michael Brown is accused of inviting "several hundred people" to a Weddington home on June 21 where he had previously worked as a landscaper, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office. Brown allegedly waited until the homeowners were on vacation to throw the massive bash, even charging an entry fee that "he then pocketed," police said. Deputies were called to the home after receiving several noise complaints and encountered Brown, who initially told them he was the owner, according to authorities. When the officers did not buy his story, Brown then claimed the home belonged to his grandparents, police said. "After several additional epic failures at telling the truth, he finally admitted he was the lawn guy and had no relation to the homeowners whatsoever," the sheriff's office said in a statement. The Union County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Several local law enforcement agencies responded to the scene due to the large number of partygoers, with several individuals deciding to "double down on their criminal behavior" by leaving the area recklessly — resulting in numerous traffic stops. Brown was subsequently taken into custody and charged with alleged breaking and entering, injury to real property, obtaining property under false pretenses, second-degree trespassing and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was booked into the Union County Detention Center, where he "was specifically told he was a guest [at the jail], not a resident, and ordered not to throw any parties in our phone cell while trying to secure a bonding company," the press release said. Brown has since been released from jail on bond. Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney representing Brown.
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Landscaper arrested for throwing party while homeowners were away
A landscaper threw a wild party at his clients' jaw-dropping North Carolina mansion while they were on vacation - but he claims he did nothing wrong. Michael Brown, who runs Brown's Dream Team Landscaping, has previously mowed the lawn of a $4.3 million house in Weddington. But on Saturday afternoon, the 37-year-old had other plans at the ritzy residence - hosting a massive blowout without the owners' permission. Hundreds of guests - mostly teens and young adults - flocked to the mansion, each paying an entry fee that Brown (pictured) pocketed, according to the Union County Sherriff's Office. With music blasting and cars clogging up the typically quiet street, baffled neighbors grew concerned and filed complaints. 'I was like, that's not a venue, how are they managing this, so, we were disturbed with all the traffic and the cars and the people and not knowing what's happening,' nearby resident Wendy Squires, told WBTV. Police arrived to shut down the illegal chaotic event and identified Brown as the ringleader. Brown allegedly claimed he was the homeowner and the party was a celebration for his son's graduation. But he was arrested after cops found 'holes' in his story. The party-throwing landscaper was charged with breaking and entering, second-degree trespassing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, injury to real property and obtaining property by false pretenses. Brown posted his $10,000 bond later that day - and has shown no regret for hosting the rager. 'I didn't break the law, I just broke some rules of probably what the owners didn't want me to do, but I didn't break the law,' Brown told WSOCTV9. He also admitted to throwing the party for his son and his friends for a profit. 'I just want to always do something where we could create an income and bring a positive environment for his friends,' he told the outlet. That 'positive environment,' according to Lieutenant James Maye, included 'a lot of underage drinking' among the 300 to 400 guests. Brown claimed he was not charging an 'entry fee' but making guests pay for security - a story cops are not buying, with Maye saying they recovered more than $3,000. 'The owner knew I was supposed to be there,' Brown claimed, later adding he's 'like their son' and is at there house nearly every day. He also expressed confidence that he did not lose a client over the matter. But the owners' son, Jante Burch, fiercely disputed those assertion. 'What I saw was a very egregious act in my mind. You had youth, they're smoking dope on my back porch, you're in the pool, you have violated,' Burch told WSOCTV9 after they spoke with Brown. 'I was very angry at the fact that this happened, I knew when I saw it that there was not way that my parents knew any of this.' The distressed son said his parent's stunning home was left a 'hot mess' and debunked Brown's sentiment that he has close ties with the family. 'Bro you cut the grass, you're the hired help so you were that for that reason, and that reason only,' he said. 'He's delusional, he is definitely delusional. In fact, not only has he lost a client, he's probably lost a lot of other clients that he had potentially gotten in that neighborhood.'
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Man hired to cut grass at $4.3m mansion instead throws massive party with hundreds of guests
A landscaper threw a wild party at his clients' jaw-dropping North Carolina mansion while they were on vacation - but he claims he did nothing wrong. Michael Brown, who runs Brown's Dream Team Landscaping, has previously mowed the lawn of a $4.3 million house in Weddington. But on Saturday afternoon, the 37-year-old had other plans at the ritzy residence - hosting a massive blowout without the owners' permission. Hundreds of guests - mostly teens and young adults - flocked to the mansion, each paying an entry fee that Brown pocketed, according to the Union County Sherriff's Office. With music blasting and cars clogging up the typically quiet street, baffled neighbors grew concerned and filed complaints. 'I was like, that's not a venue, how are they managing this, so, we were disturbed with all the traffic and the cars and the people and not knowing what's happening,' nearby resident Wendy Squires, told WBTV. Police arrived to shut down the illegal chaotic event and identified Brown as the ringleader. Brown allegedly claimed he was the homeowner and the party was a celebration for his son's graduation. But he was arrested after cops found 'holes' in his story. The party-throwing landscaper was charged with breaking and entering, second-degree trespassing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, injury to real property and obtaining property by false pretenses. Brown posted his $10,000 bond later that day - and has shown no regret for hosting the event. 'I didn't break the law, I just broke some rules of probably what the owners didn't want me to do, but I didn't break the law,' Brown told WSOCTV9. He also admitted to throwing the party for his son and his friends for a profit. 'I just want to always do something where we could create an income and bring a positive environment for his friends,' he told the outlet. That 'positive environment,' according to Lieutenant James Maye, included 'a lot of underage drinking' among the 300 to 400 guests. Brown claimed he was not charging an 'entry fee' but making guests pay for security - a story cops are not buying, with Maye saying they recovered more than $3,000. 'The owner knew I was supposed to be there,' Brown claimed, later adding he's 'like their son' and is at there house nearly every day. He also expressed confidence that he did not lose a client over the matter. But the owners' son, Jante Burch, fiercely disputed those assertion. 'What I saw was a very egregious act in my mind. You had youth, they're smoking dope on my back porch, you're in the pool, you have violated,' Burch told WSOCTV9 after they spoke with Brown. 'I was very angry at the fact that this happened, I knew when I saw it that there was not way that my parents knew any of this.' The distressed son said his parent's stunning home was left a 'hot mess' and debunked Brown's sentiment that he has close ties with the family. 'Bro you cut the grass, you're the hired help so you were that for that reason, and that reason only,' he said. 'He's delusional, he is definitely delusional. In fact, not only has he lost a client, he's probably lost a lot of other clients that he had potentially gotten in that neighborhood.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
Landscaper arrested after inviting hundreds to unauthorized party while homeowners away, cops say
A North Carolina landscaper was arrested after inviting hundreds of people to a party while the homeowners were on vacation, police said. Michael Brown is accused of inviting as many as 400 people to the house party in the Charlotte suburb of Weddington last Saturday night. 'He represented himself as the homeowner and said he was having a party,' Lieutenant James Maye of the Union County Sheriff's Office told WSOC. 'He was, in fact, not the homeowner, not related to the homeowner, but in fact was the yard guy.' Maye added that 'a lot of underage drinking' was going on at the party, which was shut down by the police after neighbors complained. Brown was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, second-degree trespassing, and obtaining property by false pretenses, among other charges. Police said that Brown 'charged each person attending the party an entry fee that he then pocketed' in a statement shared on Facebook. 'After several additional epic failures at telling the truth, he finally admitted he was the lawn guy and had no relation to the homeowners whatsoever,' the statement added. Brown was taken to the Union County Detention Center, where he was 'specifically told he was a guest at our Detention Center, not a resident, and ordered not to throw any parties in our phone cell while trying to secure a bonding company,' police jested in the statement. The landscaper posted a $10,000 secured bond and is no longer in police custody. He told WSOC that he disputed the version of events shared by the sheriff's office. Brown also told the news outlet that he was even planning to host another party and that he doesn't believe he has lost the client, who was still on vacation when the outlet interviewed the landscaper. 'I'm just waiting for them to come home, just so I can continue to build my relationship and we can move forward,' Brown said.
