SELMA – A Selma police officer has been fired following an internal investigation. Police Chief Jamie Hughes terminated Officer Joseph Atkinson from the Selma police force on October 21.
Matthew Sanders, the operator of Encore Automotive in Smithfield, filed a formal complaint with police over a traffic stop by two officers, including Officer Atkinson, on September 19.
Sanders used his cell phone to record the interaction with police. He alleged Officer Atkinson deleted the video of the traffic stop from his personal phone. Sanders said he was later able to recover the video which he shared on social media.
Sanders said he was driving a customer’s car to a body shop when he was pulled over. Sanders claimed he was unfairly treated.
Following an internal investigation by Selma Police, with the assistance of two independent agencies, Chief Hughes said it appears the video was deleted at some point but it is unclear if the action was deliberate or unintentional. Nothing was found to substantiate claims it was deleted by Officer Atkinson.
Chief Hughes said that after reviewing the video of the traffic stop, Mr. Sanders was asked at least 14 times to exit his vehicle. The police cheif said the officer had probable cause to ask Sanders to exit the car based on the odor of marijuana coming from inside. Sanders and the officer both continued to be argumentative, but no policy or procedures were found to be violated.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE LETTER FROM SELMA POLICE CHIEF TO MATTHEW SANDERS
Selma Mayor Byron McAllister said the findings of the investigation were shared with Mr. Sanders.
“The Selma Police Department went on to further investigate the actions of the officer in question as seen in the YouTube video recorded via mobile phone at the scene of the September 19, 2024, traffic stop,” Mayor McAllister told The Johnston County Report. “Chief Hughes has informed me that, as a result of further investigation, Officer Joseph Atkinson’s employment with the Town of Selma was terminated on October 21, 2024.”
“While I will not comment on the specifics of Mr. Atkinson’s employment and subsequent termination, I will say that the Town of Selma and the Selma Police Department hold very high standards for those that represent our municipality. We take any allegation of misconduct or impropriety very seriously. We expect our staff to always act in a professional manner.”
Matthew Sanders was cited by Officer Atkinson for five different offenses. Those charges include expired registration, rear lamp violation, possession of marijuana up to one-half ounce, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, and resisting a public officer. At last check, those charges are scheduled to be heard Nov. 19, 2024 in Johnston County District Court.
Since Officer Atkinson is no longer employed by the Selma Police department, the status of the pending charges will be decided by the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office.
