On July 8, Don Eberhardt, 50, former Chief Deputy of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina was arrested after an investigation by special agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Special Investigations Unit.
On April 21, the State Bureau of Investigation was requested by the Buncombe County District Attorney to conduct an investigation into an alleged theft by Eberhardt of a firearm from Carolina Guns and Gear in Asheville, NC that happened on April 9. The alleged stolen pistol was a 556/Delton/Dri-15, valued at $500.
On Monday, July 6, a Buncombe County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment on the charges of felonious larceny and felonious possession of stolen goods, ABC 17 News reports.
On July 8, Eberhardt turned himself in at the Buncombe County Detention Center just before 8 a.m. After going before a magistrate, he was issued a written promise to appear. The Buncombe County District Attorney has referred the prosecution of this case to the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.
At the initial point of the investigation Eberhardt was placed on paid administrative leave effective April 24th while the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation. However, Eberhardt is not an employee with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office anymore. It is unclear if Eberhardt was terminated or resigned.