MARCH 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 3

AROUND THE COUNTRY
EX CHIEF ARRESTED
AFTER FAKING DEATH
Chadbourn, NC – A former
North Carolina police chief with
40 outstanding warrants was
arrested early Thursday morning
after allegedly attempting to
fake his own death, according to
investigators.
Former Chadbourn Police
Chief Anthony Spivey, 36, failed
to show up to court earlier in
February to answer to one of the
multiple criminal cases pending
against him, WECT reported.
Spivey claimed he couldn’t
attend because he was suffering
from COVID, so the hearing was
reset to Feb. 21.
When Spivey also skipped
out on the rescheduled hearing,
his attorney told the court his
client was missing and that he
had possibly committed suicide,
WECT reported.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s
Office (CCSO) said it received a
report Monday from North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission
(NCWRC) officers about
a boat they found abandoned in
the Lumber River.
The NCWRC officers determined
the boat belonged to
Spivey and said he was last seen
driving a truck in the area where
the boat was spotted, WECT
reported.
CCSO investigators said they
located handwritten letters at
the scene and found a .22-caliber
rifle in the boat.
A discharged round was found
inside the firearm, according to
police.
“Deputies arrived on the scene,
along with Sheriff’s Office Investigators
and Special Operations
Units, including the Man Tracking
and Dive Units,” the CCSO said
in a press release, according to
WECT. “As the Sheriff’s Office
began to search the area, investigators
spoke to Spivey’s friends
and family who were at the
scene. Investigators began collecting
evidence. Family members
described the incident as a
possible suicide.”
But the CCSO believed the
scene was a farce.
“Investigators quickly concluded
that the evidence collected
did not support a suicide scenario,”
the sheriff’s office said.
“As investigators collected video
from surveillance systems and
conducted interviews, it became
even more apparent that the
scene on the river was staged.”
The CCSO still utilized dive
crews to search the river and
sent tracking teams into the
woods to look for the missing
former police chief, WECT reported.
“Search and rescue crews conducted
searches for three days,
including several agencies assisting
with aerial coverage, K9
sniffing, and sonar scanning,” the
CCSO said. “Meanwhile, Criminal
Investigators were conducting a
separate investigation.”
The North Carolina State Bureau
of Investigation (NCSBI)
and the U.S. Marshals Service
(USMS) joined in the effort and
began looking into leads indicating
Spivey was still alive, WECT
reported.
Investigators received a tip on
Wednesday that the disgraced
former police chief was hiding
out at a family member’s home
in Loris, South Carolina, and obtained
a warrant for his arrest.
They headed over to an apartment
complex on Watson Heritage
Road where Spivey’s aunt,
Brenda Rowele, resides, WECT
reported.
Spivey was found submerged
in a creek behind the complex,
attempting to hide, according to
police.
Police ordered him to come
out of the water with his hands
raised, but as the suspect walked
up onto a dry, wooded area, he
allegedly reached towards his
waistband and told the officers
they would have to shoot him,
The Horry Independent reported.
Investigators said he was taken
into custody at approximately
12:45 a.m. after a brief foot
pursuit and physical altercation,
WECT reported.
Rowele told police she had no
idea Spivey skipped out on his
court appearance.
She claimed he called her the
night before his hearing and said
he was having marital problems
and that he was thinking about
committing suicide, according to
police.
Rowele said she discouraged
him from harming himself and
told him to come to her home
for a few days, WECT reported.
“I was told different stories,
but I do know, and I will state to
the fact that he is not no drug
addict like they say he is,” she
declared. “Columbus County
cops is doing him wrong.”
Spivey resigned from his
position as chief of the Chadbourn
Police Department (CPD)
in April of 2021, shortly before
he was arrested on 73 counts
stemming from allegations
that he repeatedly raided the
department’s evidence room
and stole tens of thousands
of dollars in cash, a variety of
narcotics, and multiple firearms,
WECT reported at the time.
Those offenses allegedly occurred
between Aug. 18, 2018,
and March 4, 2021.
He was hit with another
charge in June of 2021 for
allegedly embezzling $8,000
from funds donated to a family
whose son died from leukemia,
WECT reported.
Spivey managed to post
$500,000 bond in August of
2021 but was arrested on new
charges in January for allegedly
stealing catalytic converters
from the Tarbor City auto repair
shop where he was working as
a mechanic.
He again posted bond.
Spivey was booked into the J.
Reuben Long Detention Center
in Horry County on Thursday
pending extradition back to
North Carolina, WECT reported.
He had 40 outstanding warrants
with a total bond of $1
million.
The CCSO said he is expected
to face additional charges.
Two additional suspects connected
with Spivey’s case were
arrested by Columbus County
deputies on Thursday, WECT
reported.
Debbie Sasser and her husband,
Dean Sasser, were both
charged with obstruction of
justice and were being held on
$100,000 bond.
26 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 27