A federal grand jury investigation examining the conduct of former Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene is underway, and at least six sheriff’s deputies, one local police chief, and the chairman of the county Board of Commissioners have been called to testify. 

The subpoenas indicate that what started as an investigation into a recorded phone call in which Greene said he wanted to fire Black deputies seems to have ballooned into something much bigger. […]

Michael Hewlett is a courts and law reporter for The Assembly. He was previously a legal affairs reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal and has won two Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Awards.

Jeffrey Billman is a politics and law reporter for The Assembly. The former editor-in-chief of INDY in Durham, he holds a master's degree in public policy analysis from the University of Central Florida.