A former Vance County jail captain is now facing a nine-count indictment accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman while she was in custody, according to court filings. The indictment alleges the incidents happened between Feb. 27 and March 6, 2026, and identifies the victim as a 34-year-old woman. The former captain resigned from the sheriff’s office after being suspended earlier in March.
Indictment lays out week of alleged abuse behind bars
A Vance County grand jury returned an indictment charging former jail captain Shannon Holley with nine counts, including second-degree rape, assault on a female and sexual activity by a custodian, according to The News & Observer. Court documents cited by the paper say the alleged encounters took place inside the county jail over roughly a week in late February and early March.
Holley, who joined the Vance County sheriff’s office in August 2025 after previously working as a detention officer in Johnston County, was suspended without pay on March 9 and resigned on March 21, according to the same report. The grand jury’s indictment is the formal document that moves the case into the Superior Court system.
How state law defines the sex-crime charges
Under North Carolina law, sexual activity by a custodian is a felony offense, and an accused person cannot argue that the victim consented. As outlined in N.C.G.S. § 14-27.31, the law applies to employees or agents who have custody of a victim and makes clear that consent is not a defense to the charge.
The separate charge of second-degree rape is defined in N.C.G.S. § 14-27.3, which classifies the offense as a Class C felony and sets out its specific legal elements and potential punishments.
Case heads to Vance County Superior Court
With the indictment in place, the case now proceeds to Vance County Superior Court. The defendant will be arraigned there, and prosecutors and defense attorneys will set a schedule for pretrial hearings.
North Carolina procedure gives both sides time after an indictment to review discovery, file motions and argue what evidence should be allowed at trial. Any trial would follow those pretrial steps. If Holley is convicted on any of the charges, the statutes cited in the indictment would guide the sentencing range and post-conviction consequences.
Sheriff’s office response and contact information
Sheriff Curtis Brame suspended Holley without pay in March and later confirmed that Holley resigned that same month, The News & Observer reports.
The Vance County Sheriff's Office lists its main non-emergency number as (252) 738-2200 on its website, Vance County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information about this case, or who believes they may have experienced similar conduct, is encouraged to contact law enforcement or local victim services so investigators can be notified.
