A message from Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland
Effective immediately, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office will no longer respond to “Anonymous” reports alleging violations against the “NC Governor’s Order” or any other local orders currently in place related to COVID-19.
Any person who wishes to file a complaint regarding any current order will be required to identify themselves when initially filing report. All violations reported appropriately will be investigated by our office. We will also keep District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch informed about our investigations and discuss any potential criminal charges that are to be filed.
As of this release, Investigators assigned to handling these complaints have investigated more than a dozen reported violations and at the conclusion of those investigations all parties were found to have NOT committed any violations and in compliance with the orders currently in place.
During these investigations, we found that educating either the reporter or the alleged violator was all that was necessary to resolve any issues or concerns. Investigators provided each individual visited with informational packets related to COVID-19 and the orders currently in place. Investigators reminded them that it is the responsibility of all citizens (Full Time, Part Time and/or Visitors) to understand any and all current requirements of the orders in place.
Unfortunately, while conducting some of these investigations, investigators concluded that some who filed anonymous complaints were taking advantage of the opportunity of reporting anonymously to harass their neighbors.
Having been advised of this, all of us at your Sheriff’s Office are respectfully requesting that you work out your differences with your neighbors and not use our services to harass them. We do not want to be forced into the position of also having to initiate investigations into “Filing of False Reports” related to COVID-19 but I will consider doing so if it becomes an issue in the future.
DO NOT report people simply because they are driving around town and have an Out-of-State license plate on the vehicle they are driving. That is not a crime and does not violate any Orders.
DO NOT report people because they have more people living in their home than you think they should. That is not a crime and does not violate any current Orders in place.
DO NOT report people for being in violation of the “self-quarantine” unless you know what the requirements are yourself. Those who have been requested to self quarantine still have the opportunity to leave the location they are residing in to take care of their essential needs. YES… the authorities have requested anyone self quarantining to not leave the place they are staying at for a period of 14 consecutive days and to also bring with them enough food and supplies to last them for the entire period of self quarantine.
While some may not agree with what one individual may consider to be essential needs for a family, one should remember that others may not agree with your definition of essential needs either.
Please feel free to report violations if you have factual information that violations of the orders are occurring. In the event you file such a report you should understand you will be required to provide your name, address and contact information. As with any criminal investigation, this information is very important because we may need to contact you for any future court proceedings as a result of your reporting of violation.
To report a violation related to Governor’s Order or any local orders please call (828)349-2068
When reporting be prepared to leave your contact information along with the information about the violation that you are concerned about.
DO NOT call 911 to report anything other than an emergency.
Respectfully,
Sheriff Robert L. Holland
Macon County