State trooper assigned to Wayne County under internal investigation
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on November 23, 2016 6:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
In this undated file photo, Sgt. Maurice DeValle looks up information while on duty.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed Tuesday that one of its patrol supervisors assigned to Wayne County is under internal investigation.
The trooper in question is accused of what amounts to stealing time -- and taxpayers' money -- by reporting he was on duty while he was actually still at home.
A local television news outlet reported Tuesday that after a two-month investigation of its own, it notified the highway patrol of several instances where Sgt. Maurice DeValle, a state trooper since 1998 and who is assigned in a supervisory role to Wayne County's Troop C2, radioed in to dispatch that he was on duty when in fact he was at home, his patrol cruiser parked in his driveway.
Sgt. Michael Baker, public information officer for the highway patrol, said DeValle was placed on administrative duty about a week ago.
"He has been placed on administrative duty due to a pending investigation that began last week, or about a week ago, when the information was brought to us," Baker said.
According to the accusations brought forth by the news station, at least one instance of DeValle's alleged false reports of being on duty came in the wake of Hurricane Matthew and the record flooding that followed. While other troopers were out responding to stranded motorists and securing washed-out roads to protect the public, the news station alleges DeValle was at home but claimed to be on patrol.
Baker said the highway patrol does not comment on ongoing investigations, but he did confirm that DeValle is being investigated by the law enforcement agency's own Internal Affairs section.
Baker said he could not provide what specific infraction the DeValle investigation falls under, or what its official classification might be.
He did say, however, that at least for now the investigation is not criminal.
First Sgt. Jerry Burton, DeValle's direct supervisor at Troop C2 headquarters in Wayne County, said he could not comment on the investigation.
A call to Troop C2 Tuesday morning confirmed DeValle was scheduled to work that day, his shift to begin at 1 p.m.