Who is William Spivey? Ex-police chief who faked his death to avoid charges after wild crime spree pleads guilty
COLUMBUS COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: William Spivey, an ex-police chief has been sentenced to 11 to 22 years in prison after he pled guilty to multiple felonies and one misdemeanor.
Once the head of the Chadbourn Police Department, Spivey faked his own death, and was found guilty later by the court.
Spivey was first charged in 2021 after an inquiry was launched by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office over missing evidence at the Chadbourn Police Department. He lost his badge too this week.
Investigators find evidence against William Spivey
Authorities later 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 tampered too, according to an announcement from the Columbus County District Attorney’s office days ago.
“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,” it said.
William Spivey was fired in 2021
Spivey was let go from his duties at the department after enough evidence was found against his wrongdoings in April 2021.
The 36-year-old failed to show up at a court hearing and staged his own suicide. He was later arrested hiding at his aunt's apartment in Loris, South Carolina.
The Columbus County Sheriff's Office revealed Spivey was located at his aunt's residence on Watson Heritage Road in Loris.
Reports indicate that he was trying to hide, submerged in a creek behind the apartment when the police spotted him, reports Law&Crime.
The ex-officer tried to escape and resisted the arrest before being taken into custody at approximately 12.45 am.
"Anthony was not that type of person. He was honest. I'd trust him with my life, I'll tell you that much. People have a tendency to...when they read the papers or any type of media, in general, they believe it. It's all alleged. He hasn't been
convicted," said Spivey's family member Dean Sasser.
"It didn't really hit until I saw my truck and I saw the boat where it was located, He had left a letter in the truck to all of us... saying his goodbyes. It's devastating," Sasser told WWAY.
"The agencies went to an apartment complex on Watson Heritage Road in Loris, SC. Spivey ran from the complex and was quickly apprehended in a wooded area behind the complex," as per Columbus County Sheriff's Office.