ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran was arrested Friday and faces multiple criminal charges, including allegations of corruption while in office, according to District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch.
Cochran, 72, was taken into custody by agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and officers with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He was charged with four state offenses: felonious restraint, assault on a female, sexual battery and solicitation to commit prostitution.
Welch said in a statement that the actions, if proven, would constitute corruption under North Carolina General Statute 128-6(3).
Cochran also faces charges under the Cherokee Code, including two counts of oppression in office and one count of abusive sexual contact.
Welch filed a petition Friday in state Superior Court requesting Cochran’s immediate suspension from office. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Tessa Sellers granted the request and scheduled a hearing for July 7 in Graham County to review the suspension. A second hearing is set for July 21 in Swain County to determine whether Cochran should be permanently removed and disqualified from holding office.
The investigation remains ongoing.