By Miles Layton

EDENTON — Chief Deputy John McArthur presented the Chowan County Sheriff’s Office annual report to the Board of County Commissioners Monday evening, painting a picture of a department stretched thin but producing results — more arrests, more miles driven, more drugs seized — even as it grapples with a decades-old jail that houses nearly 60 percent more inmates than its design allows.

The wide-ranging presentation covered every arm of the agency: the patrol division, central communications, the detention center, school resource officers, the K-9 unit, and a suite of community programs that commissioners said they had not fully appreciated until they heard them all listed at once.

Why cover the annual sheriff’s report? Because it provides insight into law enforcement in the community that these folks serve.

The photo shows Chief Deputy McArthur delivering the annual report.

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A Jail Built for Another Era

McArthur opened with the detention center, noting that the facility dates to 1980. Commission Chairman Bob Kirby offered some historical context, noting that the 1980 structure replaced an even older jail, which was in use until 1976, and that it was located adjacent to the historic 1767 courthouse.

“We in Chowan County don’t go about these things like building jails or changing jails real lightly,” Kirby said. “We’re pretty strident with it. If we get something, we hang on to it.”

The present building has 23 beds. Its average daily population in 2025 was 36.9 inmates — a persistent state of overcrowding that McArthur described as a year-round condition. “Over the year of 2025, we were perpetually overpopulated,” he said.

To manage the strain, the office has relied on partnerships with outside providers including McDaniel, HomeWav , Bertie Correctional, and Southern Health Partners. A commissary arrangement with McDaniel allows inmates to order vetted items digitally, which McArthur said solved an earlier contraband problem that had been a security concern.

A video visitation system provided by HomeWav — implemented just before the COVID-19 pandemic — replaced in-person visits and eliminated a key contraband entry point. The program has also generated revenue. “To date, two hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars has come through that program, and we got $133,000 of that since 2020,” McArthur said.

The Statewide Misdemeanor Confinement Program currently holds one inmate in the facility, generating $40 per day, though the office has four slots allotted under the program.

With a new jail now approved by the commission, McArthur acknowledged the transition will affect some of those partnerships but said the office intends to maintain them as best it can.

Communications Center Nearly at Full Staff

The central communications center — staffed by one director, Harmon Weiss, and assistant director Kerry Thrasher, a position approved in the last budget cycle — handled more than 44,000 total calls in 2025. That figure included approximately 9,090 calls for service routed to sheriff’s deputies, which McArthur calculated at roughly 25 calls per day.

“Our 9-1-1 center, the Chowan County Detention Center — these are all needs in the community, not necessarily wants,” McArthur said, after Chairman Kirby underscored the stakes of adequately funding the operation. “We absolutely don’t want to cut something out of that which means that somebody might die,” Kirby said.

The center is close to being fully staffed, with McArthur noting the director and assistant director have been covering console shifts to fill gaps.

Among the programs housed in central communications is the “RUOK” initiative, in which dispatchers place daily check-in calls to 11 residents, typically elderly individuals. “Not only does it make sure that they’re okay, but it lets that individual know that somebody cares about them,” McArthur said. He added that the program has been adopted by at least one neighboring county and that the office would welcome more participants — anyone interested can call the non-emergency line.

Dispatchers also received Crisis Intervention Team training to handle calls involving mental illness, and the center has implemented a child check-in station at the Chowan County Regional Fair, which McArthur said was expanded this past year from weekend nights only to the entire week of the fair. “We had several instances where this worked successfully at our fair last year,” he said, “and those parents were very thankful.”

Patrol Division: More Arrests, Fewer Officers

The patrol side of the agency has 21 full-time sworn positions, including the sheriff. As of the report, 19 are filled: four deputies are pending BLET certification, two are currently enrolled at Edgecombe Community College’s BLET program, and one position is vacant.

Despite operating below full strength throughout 2025, the office recorded increases in every arrest category. Felony arrests reached 63, generating 140 total charges. Misdemeanor arrests came to 157, with 217 charges. Total arrests stood at 220, carrying 357 charges — gains across the board compared to 2024.

“We went up in every single one of those numbers, even with fewer people working the road consistently over that calendar year,” McArthur said. “Our guys are working hard; we’re thankful for that.”

Deputies drove a combined 291,000 miles in 2025 — an average of 400 miles per day — and completed 172 inmate transports, a figure McArthur said is already climbing in 2026. The office served 1,289 criminal and civil papers and conducted 92 court sessions at the Chowan County Courthouse, where bailiffs screened more than 600 jurors in superior court alone.

On traffic enforcement, the office issued 252 warnings against 134 citations in 2025, a roughly two-to-one ratio.

“Our goal is compliance, not fines,” McArthur said. “We want our roadways to be more safe.”

Commissioner Larry McLaughlin pressed McArthur on conviction rates for felony arrests, a statistic the chief deputy acknowledged the office does not track directly — that data rests with the district attorney.

“We focus on what we have control of,” McArthur said. “We provide the district attorney’s office with solid cases, with good evidence, with timely reporting. Our system works. It’s slow, but it works, and I’m pleased with our outcomes.” McLaughlin, a former magistrate, noted that evidence quality and how charges are written significantly affect outcomes.

K-9, Dive Team, and a Possible Drone

K-9 Deputy Danielle Colone and her dog Rambo were deployed 19 times in 2025 for tracking, arrests, and seizure of methamphetamine and cocaine. McArthur said the unit has developed partnerships with multiple agencies across northeastern North Carolina, including the State Bureau of Investigation, Pasquotank and Gates county sheriff’s offices, and Perquimans County.

The volunteer dive team, which operates at member expense for gear and training, was called to assist Gates County in recovering a stolen vehicle that a citizen had located with a fish finder. “We have developed a really good reputation throughout the northeastern part of North Carolina,” McArthur said.

Commissioner Tony Shaffer raised the possibility of pursuing drone technology, citing work done by Stafford County, Virginia’s sheriff’s department. McArthur confirmed the office has a certified drone operator on staff — Deputy Eddie Swinson— and said funding, whether through grants or commissioner approval, remains the barrier.

Community Ties

McArthur also highlighted the Kids and Cops program, an annual summer camp for middle and high school students that recently held a glow-run 5K attended by a record 124 registrants. “We know them by name, and they know us by name,” he said of the relationships built with young people through the program.

Commissioner McLaughlin closed the discussion with an endorsement of the department’s breadth: “You’re policing, but you have a heart too. You’re in the community. You know people in your community. I’m real proud of the sheriff’s office.”

Chairman Kirby echoed the sentiment. “You and the entirety of the sheriff’s office — certainly a team effort all the way around,” he told McArthur. “You did an outstanding job.”

McArthur credited Sheriff Basnight with directing the office’s priorities. “This is all under the direction of Sheriff (Edward) Basnight,” he said. “I just appreciate the opportunity to stand up here before you.”