wilkes

Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins was indicted Monday on two counts of felony obstruction of justice amid allegations he discussed killing a former deputy who had a recording of him using "racially insensitive language."

Wilkins, who has served since 2009, was indicted after a recorded conversation with a "well-known" person who threatened a former deputy, Joshua Freeman, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Monday.

During the August 2014 conversation, court records said, Wilkins indicated he thought Joshua Freeman would soon release an audio recording of him using "racially insensitive language" to authorities in Raleigh.

The sheriff advised the person he was speaking with to "take care of it" and said "the only way you gonna stop him is kill him," adding instructions on how to commit the murder without being identified, court records stated,

"You ain't got the weapon, you ain't got nothing to go on," Wilkins said, according to court records. "The only way we find out these murder things is people talk. You can't tell nobody, not a thing."

In that conversation, Wilkins also heard specific threats to kill his former deputy at a particular time and place but did not warn the officer or take any action, court records stated.

Court documents said Wilkins did so "in secrecy and malice, with deceit and intent to defraud."