CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Investigator Carl Duncan of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has been placed on administrative leave following public allegations of evidence tampering in a case against Jodi Blanton.
The case against Jodi Blanton was dismissed last year when a judge agreed with Blanton’s lawyers that Duncan had altered evidence to secure an indictment.
Despite the court’s findings, Duncan continued to work as a deputy until last week, when the allegations became public.
“When you talk about evidence that could be presented to a jury that would call into question a witness’s credibility, that’s really important,” said Brad Smith, an attorney with more than 20 years of experience.
The judge’s decision to throw out the case was based on Duncan’s “propensity to stretch, omit, and falsify the truth” when preparing investigative summaries. The order was signed in May of last year.
The Cleveland County District Attorney is required to notify all attorneys with cases involving Duncan about his lack of truthfulness. However, it remains unclear whether this notification has been made.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department referred inquiries to a press release stating that Duncan’s administrative leave is not a determination of wrongdoing but a step to preserve the integrity of any ongoing review.
Questions remain about whether Duncan’s other cases are being examined for similar issues, but no direct answers have been provided.
The developments raise concerns about the integrity of investigations conducted by Duncan, and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is under scrutiny for its handling of the situation.
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