By Miles Layton

EDENTON – Edenton Town Council will consider formally censuring Councilman Aaron Coston at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10, following his arrest last month on a felony extortion charge in Pitt County.

The item appears on the council’s agenda as “Appropriate response (if any) by the Town Council to the criminal charges against Councilman Coston,” listed under Mayor and Council portion of the agenda. A draft resolution attached to the agenda spells out what council members could vote on.

The draft resolution acknowledges Coston “is deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” It adds that “such charges undermine public confidence in the integrity of the Town Council, compromises the effective operation of the Town of Edenton and violates the expectations of the electorate.”

Council’s agenda also includes plans for a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 10, on a proposed 60-day moratorium that would temporarily halt certain development approvals for data centers within the town’s planning and zoning jurisdiction. To read more, see this story.

To quote Scooby Doo, “Ruh roh!”

The resolution would take effect “upon the refusal of Councilman Coston to formally resign as a Town Councilman.” If adopted, it would do three things.

First, it would formally censure Coston, “expressing this Town Council’s strongest official disapproval, condemnation and reprimand of Councilman Coston for the conduct resulting in the criminal charges.”

Second, it would immediately remove him from “any and all internal and external committees, boards and commissions representing the Town of Edenton.”

Third, it would bar him from using “any discretionary, non-statutory Council privileges, including travel allowances, official representations at public events and any other non-statutory benefits for the remainder of Councilman Coston’s current term.”

Wow — this scene from the movie “Friday” pretty much sums up what council’s plans for Coston.

That said, the document also concedes the limits of what council can do. It states that council “acknowledges its lack of statutory authority to remove an elected Councilman from office or restrict that Councilman’s right to vote.” It says council does possess “the inherent authority to regulate its internal operations, issue formal reprimands and determine non-statutory appointments.”

A censure would not change his status on council. Under North Carolina General Statute, when a council seat becomes vacant, the remaining members choose a replacement by majority vote, and the appointee serves the rest of the unexpired term. A felony conviction could change that. North Carolina General Statute 160A-59 and Article VI, Section 8 of the state Constitution disqualify people convicted of felonies from holding office unless their rights of citizenship have been formally restored through a legal process.

Coston, 34, represents the Third Ward. He was arrested Oct. 23 on a warrant issued Oct. 16 by a Pitt County magistrate. The charge stems from an alleged Oct. 8 incident investigated by the Greenville Police Department.

The warrant alleges Coston threatened to contact a man’s employer and disclose information about an online adult-content account unless the man paid $5,000 and signed a nondisclosure agreement. Court documents say Coston possessed intimate photographs of the man, who is not named. Greenville police further allege Coston already contacted one of the man’s employers in an attempt to have him fired.

Coston faces one count of felony extortion, a Class F felony. He was released after a $25,000 secured bond was posted. According to court documents, he has since waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Pitt County court. The case remains pending, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

The censure resolution describes the arrest as the second time Coston has faced criminal charges in the past year. In May, a Chowan County grand jury indicted him on two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and one felony count of identity theft.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation, those charges stem from allegations that Coston used another person’s identifying and banking information to obtain two loans totaling $12,000 from State Employees’ Credit Union between November 2023 and March 2024. That case is pending in Chowan County Superior Court. The most recent filing the Observer obtained is an Aug. 31 waiver of assigned counsel, which is not a plea or a determination of guilt.

Coston was first elected to council May 17, 2022, defeating incumbent Roscoe Poole Jr. He was reelected in November 2025 to a four-year term that expires in 2029.

When Coston was charged in May, Town Hall issued a statement that the town indicated also applies to the latest charge. It read in part: “These are serious offenses. With due respect for law enforcement and our judicial system, Councilman Coston is entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence. The citizens of Edenton rightly expect honesty and transparency. However, further comment during the pendency of this matter would be inappropriate.”

The statement continued: “The Town of Edenton will continue its work on behalf of the citizens we serve, and we ask the community to be patient and allow the legal process to proceed to a conclusion.”

Coston’s chair was empty at a recent council meeting. It is not clear whether he plans to attend Tuesday.

Coston has not been convicted of any crime in either case, and both remain pending.