Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey recently justified his decision to hire Deputy James Hampton, a figure who has become the center of a public controversy due to a video from five years ago that showed Hampton mishandling a K-9. Despite the backlash, Sheriff Cathey is standing his ground, according to WSOCTV.
The sheriff has publicly stated that he is "ultimately responsible for hiring the people who work at the sheriff's office" and emphasized that he has "no intention to fire [Hampton] based upon public perception of an incident" from the past. According to Sheriff Cathey, Deputy Hampton has demonstrated regret and personal growth since the incident. Sheriff Cathey revealed to WCNC that Hampton went on to serve another sheriff's office after leaving Salisbury in 2021, where he was promoted during that tenure.
In his statement responding to the public outcry, Cathey underscored the "faith-based mentality" with which he leads the sheriff's office, mentioning principles such as "grace and redemption/forgiveness," which he took into account when making the hiring decision. "Since the incident many years ago, Deputy Hampton has shown that he is more than the man depicted in this one minute of video footage," Cathey told WCNC.
The hiring process in Union County not only involves a rigorous background check but also gauges a candidate's experience, qualifications, and character. Sheriff Cathey has maintained that Hampton passed this meticulous vetting process. "The background process utilized by my office is much more stringent than a standard employer," Cathey explained, indicating the comprehensive nature of the evaluation as reported by WBTV.
