Background: The wooded area where former police chief William Spivey was found after faking his death (via YouTube screengrab/WNCN). Inset: William Spivey being hauled away by police in handcuffs after his arrest in February 2022 (via Horry County (S.C.) Police Department/Facebook).
A former North Carolina police chief who stole drugs, guns and cash from evidence before being arrested and then faking his death after a wild crime spree was sentenced this week to serve 11 to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to 14 felonies and a single misdemeanor.
William Spivey, once the head of the Chadbourn Police Department, was stripped of his badge as well this week. He was first charged in 2021 after an investigation into missing evidence at the Chadbourn Police Department was launched by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office.
When district attorneys first started asking questions in February 2021 about an array of Chadbourn narcotics cases that were missing evidence, prosecutors said Spivey wouldn’t cooperate. Not only did he decline to let them review what little evidence he was able to come up with, he reportedly refused to show officials anything else that they asked for.
Local NBC affiliate WECT reported that a North Carolina State Bureau Investigation probe into possible obstruction of justice by Spivey, as well as a probe into failure to discharge duties as an officer, ultimately led to a search of his private office at the department as well as an evidence room in March 2021.
That was just the beginning of Spivey’s troubles.
Authorities found open and torn bags of evidence as well as proof that the police chief had taken at least five firearms either in Chadbourn custody or in the custody of the local armory and had sold them to friends, family or acquaintances, WCET reported. Original case files and property sheets for evidence were strewn about too, and according to an announcement from the Columbus County District Attorney’s office this week, “much of the missing evidence was attached to cases initiated during such time when Spivey had exclusive care, custody, and control of the Chadbourn Police Department evidence room.”
Spivey was relieved of his duties at the department shortly thereafter in April 2021 and charged with mishandling evidence, trafficking drugs and embezzlement. The then-36-year-old was facing more than 70 felony counts. Then, that June, he was indicted again. This time, WECT reported, the former Chadbourn police chief was accused of embezzling $8,000 meant for a family whose child had leukemia. His bond was set at $500,000.
After doing a two-month stint in jail, that bond was posted. But in January 2022, he was arrested yet again: Spivey, who had found work as a mechanic after his life as a police chief imploded, was accused of stealing catalytic converters. Though prosecutors wanted him held in jail, he was released again — but when a February 2022 court hearing rolled around, as prosecutors had feared, Spivey was nowhere to be found.
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When Spivey’s attorney appeared in court, he told the judge he thought Spivey had gone missing and may have committed suicide.
According to a statement from North Carolina’s Horry County Police Department, Spivey was reported missing after he failed to return from a fishing trip somewhere near the Lumber River in Columbus County, North Carolina. Wildlife officers scoured the area and conducted interviews, eventually finding an abandoned boat and truck belonging to Spivey.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said when officials arrived at the river, they found his boat, as well as a discharged .22 caliber rifle and a suicide note. Spivey’s family members later told police they thought Spivey had committed suicide, too.
But the evidence told another story, police said. Dive crews searched for Spivey’s body in the river, and officers fanned out through the woods with K-9 units. They also used sonar scanning, police said.
Early on in the search, police reported that tips and surveillance footage from the area had convinced them Spivey had faked his death and staged the scene at the river. Tipped off that he might be at an apartment complex across state lines in Loris, South Carolina, Horry County Police and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office tracked him down. When they located him, Spivey took off running into the woods — but he was captured around 1 a.m. and then hauled into jail. He had 40 warrants out for his arrest by then, with a total bond of roughly $1 million.
In a public statement following Spivey’s sentencing, Jason Minnicozzi, the chief assistant district attorney for North Carolina, said the plea agreement struck for the 14 felonies headed off a potentially lengthy trial, WECT reported.
“Spivey has been held accountable for his actions and we hope that this will bring confidence back to our community, including our law enforcement partners who work diligently as they serve our community with integrity,” Minnicozzi said.
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