NC police chief accused of telling cops how to get fake vaccine cards. He’s suspended
A North Carolina police chief has been suspended after accusations that he told officers about a “clinic” where they could get proof of COVID-19 vaccination without actually getting inoculated, multiple news outlets report.
Oakboro Chief T.J. Smith was placed on unpaid administrative leave for two weeks, starting Dec. 21, WBTV reported, citing a letter from town administrator Doug Burgess. Smith was also handed a six-month probation.
In the letter dated Dec. 21, Burgess said Smith violated sections of the town’s personnel policy including “willful acts that endanger the property of others” and “fraud,” according to the news station. The police chief is also accused of breaching the police department’s “obedience to laws and rules and regulations.”
McClatchy News reached out to Oakboro town officials on Dec. 22 and was awaiting a response.
A private investigation firm hired by the Town of Oakboro alleges that Smith informed officers and troopers about a fake clinic where they could go into a restroom with a syringe and administer the COVID-19 shot themselves — or toss the vaccine entirely, WSOC-TV reported.
Investigators said Smith told the officers they would receive a COVID-19 vaccine card either way, thanks to an agreement with a pharmacist, according to the news station.
Smith has since responded to the allegations, calling his involvement “a mistake.”
“I’m owning that. It was a mistake, and I shared misinformation,” he said in a statement obtained by The Stanly News & Press. “That’s true. I wanted to say something about this before now, but with everything going on, it was best that I wait for the investigative process to conclude.”
Smith said he learned about the so-called “self-vaccination clinic” from a friend and “passed on (the) information” to at least two other officers, the newspaper reported.
“I got one phone call, hung up and made two others,” he said, according to The Stanly News & Press. “I didn’t sit back and digest the information, ruminate on it, or otherwise give it much thought. I just passed it on.”
Smith will have the option to appeal his probation, according to the letter from the city.
Oakboro is about 33 miles east of Charlotte.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 6:59 PM with the headline "NC police chief accused of telling cops how to get fake vaccine cards. He’s suspended."