When Ricky Robbins called Garry McFadden on the night of March 3 to congratulate him on winning the Democratic primary for Mecklenburg County Sheriff, McFadden had a suggestion: "Sit down and talk."
Less than four weeks later, the man who came within 2,717 votes of taking McFadden's job is now his second-in-command. Robbins, a 43-year veteran of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, starts as chief deputy on April 1. The last two people who held that position resigned with public letters on the way out.
Two Chief Deputies, Two Public Exits
Kevin Canty took the chief deputy position in February 2024. By November, he was gone. His resignation letter accused McFadden of running the agency "like a third-world dictatorship" where "no one" followed "the chain of command." Canty, who had voted for McFadden twice, told WCNC Charlotte that the sheriff told him directly he was not going to change.
The letter went further. Canty alleged McFadden referred to white deputies using a derogatory term and told Black employees they had a "plantation mentality."
Christopher Allen replaced Canty. He lasted roughly ten months. His August 2025 resignation letter described his tenure as "the worst year of my entire law enforcement career." Allen alleged "constant backstabbing, lies, disrespect, and fake narratives, all orchestrated by you, in an attempt to assassinate my character." He called McFadden's behavior "abusive and narcissistic" and the work environment "toxic."
Two chief deputies. Two public resignations. Two letters that could have been filed in court.
The departures were not the only pressure on the office. In January 2026, state Rep. Carla Cunningham and four former employees filed a petition to remove McFadden, alleging extortion, corruption, willful misconduct, and refusal to perform duties. A judge dismissed the petition on procedural grounds but left the door open to refile. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney subsequently requested a State Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the allegations; that investigation remains open.
The petition also alleged that staffing at the sheriff's office had fallen from roughly 1,300 employees to around 770 during McFadden's tenure — a figure cited by the petitioners that has not been independently verified.
A Primary Won by Three Points
McFadden won re-election on March 3, but the margin tells a story the victory label does not.
He took about 34 percent of the vote in a four-way Democratic primary — 2,717 votes ahead of Robbins at 31 percent. Retired chief deputy Rodney Collins — another former occupant of the second-in-command role — took 27 percent. Former detention officer Antwain Nance took the remaining 8 percent. Roughly two-thirds of Democratic primary voters chose someone other than the incumbent. In a county where the Democratic primary is effectively the general election for sheriff, McFadden held his seat with the support of about one in three voters.
Robbins ran on reopening a county juvenile jail, improving recruitment and retention, and — notably — declined to criticize McFadden personally throughout the campaign. He picked up endorsements from former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and current running back Chuba Hubbard, and raised nearly $93,000 — by far the most of any candidate.
That restraint may be what got him the phone call.
What Robbins Brings
Robbins was among the first Black officers in his CMPD division when he started more than four decades ago. He worked homicide, SWAT, crash investigation, highway interdiction — supervised the homicide unit long enough that CMPD gave him an award for it. Along the way, he taught criminal justice at Central Piedmont Community College. A Myers Park High School graduate, he attended both CPCC and UNC Charlotte. Forty-three years, one department.
His relationship with McFadden predates the campaign by decades. The two worked together in CMPD's homicide unit for about ten years and crossed paths regularly after that.
"One big difference is myself and the sheriff have worked together through our entire careers," Robbins told The Charlotte Observer. "I think that we have a level of respect for each other. We've never lost that. We didn't even lose that during the campaign."
McFadden, in a statement, said Robbins' "experience and vision align with our mission to promote safety, accountability, and trust across Mecklenburg County." The resignation letters used different words: dictatorship, toxic, abusive.
Before accepting the job, Robbins spoke with Canty. That he called the man who used the word "dictatorship" is worth noting. That he took the job after the conversation tells you something about either his confidence or his appetite for risk.
The chief deputy role, as Robbins described it to the Observer, will include overseeing patrol functions — warrant service and traffic enforcement. Operational work, not a ceremonial title.
What Happens Now
Robbins' campaign platform — juvenile detention reform, better recruitment, stronger retention — implicitly argued that the sheriff's office was failing on those fronts. As chief deputy, he now serves at the pleasure of the man whose record he ran against. Which of those positions he carries into the building on April 1, and which he sets aside, will say as much about the arrangement as the announcement itself.
There is also the political math. McFadden's strongest challenger is now on his payroll. Whatever the private motivations, the public effect is straightforward: the most viable alternative to McFadden in Mecklenburg County is no longer an alternative.
Robbins starts Wednesday. Whether recruitment numbers move. Whether the culture described in two consecutive resignation letters shifts. Whether the SBI inquiry produces findings that change the landscape entirely.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office is the largest in North Carolina. Since February 2024, two chief deputies have taken the job and quit publicly. Robbins makes three.