A former Harnett County Sheriff’s Office detective has been dismissed while prosecutors review an SBI investigation into allegations that she improperly used the department’s automated license-plate-reader system.
County employment records obtained by The Daily Record show that Detective Jayne Holland was dismissed September 15. She had been placed on administrative leave several weeks earlier after Sheriff Wayne Coats requested that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation examine allegations involving her use of Flock Safety cameras.
The county records did not state why Holland was dismissed, and Coats declined to say whether the personnel decision was connected to the Flock investigation. The dismissal and investigation therefore remain separate developments.
District attorney reviewing SBI report
District Attorney Suzanne Matthews told The Daily Record that her office received the SBI’s investigative report during the week of October 5. Matthews said prosecutors would review the findings before deciding whether criminal charges were appropriate.
No criminal charges had been filed against Holland as of the newspaper’s October 9 report.
Matthews also said her office would individually evaluate pending criminal cases in which Holland served as the charging officer. The review could determine whether her involvement affects how prosecutors handle those cases.
Alleged use of cameras during domestic dispute
The investigation began after an attorney accused Holland of using the sheriff’s office Flock Safety system to monitor Kymberly “Kym” Parrish during a domestic dispute involving Parrish’s estranged husband.
Attorney Jesse W. Jones alleged that license-plate searches may have been used to track Parrish’s movements to and from property she jointly owns with her estranged husband, who was identified in court documents as Holland’s boyfriend.
The allegations have not been proven. Holland has not been charged, and publicly released county records have not established that her dismissal resulted from the alleged camera use.
Attorney sought preservation of system records
Jones asked the sheriff’s office and prosecutors to preserve Flock query histories, audit logs, user-access records, communications and other electronic information that could show whether Parrish’s vehicle was searched, who conducted any searches and what law-enforcement purpose was recorded.
Under North Carolina law, agencies using automated license-plate readers must establish policies addressing access, security, training, oversight and auditing. Data collected through the systems may be accessed or disclosed only for legitimate law-enforcement purposes.
The district attorney’s review remained pending at the time of the report.
Source: Reporting by Robert Jordan for The Daily Record.
