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Officer says he was holding up intoxicated man's head in mug shot

By Mark Barber
By Mark Barber

OAKBORO, N.C. — A police officer said he was holding up a man’s head in a mug shot taken Thursday in Oakboro in Stanly County.

Jeff Crisco is a Stanly County sheriff candidate and has worked in law enforcement for 27 years. He admits the picture looks bad.

The officer’s hands could be seen wrapped around Marcus Sturdivant’s neck. Police said the man they arrested was intoxicated and wasn’t cooperating with authorities.

"The perception isn't good," Crisco said about the booking photo.

In response to today’s events, which have been misrepresented on social media, the Oakboro Police Dept. began an internal investigation. After speaking with the family, Chief Smith accompanied Mr. Sturdivant’s mother to the Stanly County Jail to assist her in having Mr. Sturdivant released from the detainer under which he was being held. The following video was taken this evening after Mr. Sturdivant’s release.

Posted by Oakboro Police Department on Thursday, September 20, 2018

Sturdivant has been detained multiple times by the department over the years, he said.

The Oakboro Police Department posted to Facebook a friendly encounter between Crisco and Sturdivant following the booking photo.

In the Facebook video, Sturdivant said he was not harmed and was not choked.

Sturdivant also admitted that he resisted and said he has no problems with Crisco or the Oakboro Police Department.

The two men shook hands during the video and laughed together.

Crisco agreed to do a one-on-one interview with Channel 9 on Friday, saying he wants to be open and transparent about the controversial case.

"I did not choke him in any way,” Crisco said. “I just held his head up."

Eyewitness News Reporter Mark Barber told Crisco, "When you hold someone's head up, you might support the chin but in the picture, you can see both of your hands around his neck. It made it look like you were choking him."

"Correct,” Crisco said. “The reason I held, not only the front, but the back, was because Marcus was moving around."

Crisco said even though Sturdivant has been detained multiple times, officers often just take him home

Crisco said the interaction with Sturdivant was different on Wednesday because he was drunk and bothering customers in a grocery store.

The officer said Sturdivant was harmless, but he wouldn't look at the camera when they were trying to book him in to the detention center.

"You've got a white officer with his hands around the neck of a black man,” Barber said to Crisco. “When people look at that, a lot of people will be thinking it's an unjust use of force. How do you respond to that?"

"It wasn't,” Crisco replied. “If you really look at the picture, I put my hands on the back of his neck. I used this part of my hand under his chin. I'm not strangling or choking him. All I'm doing is stabilizing his neck so the picture could be taken."

Channel 9 learned about the arrest after Sturdivant's family sent Channel 9 the mug shot saying, "This has to stop."

Sturdivant's family decided not to share any more information or talk on camera with Channel 9.

As for Crisco, he has already won the Republican primary for Stanly County sheriff, and now he is the favorite to win the November race.

However, on Friday, he told Channel 9 he doesn't know if the Sheriff's Office's standard operating procedure allows the physical contact he is being questioned for at the booking center.

"You will have to check with the Sheriff's Office for that, because I don't know what those operating procedures are. They just asked for my assistance, and I helped them," Crisco said.

He said that in general, he believes use of force is up to the officer's discretion.

Crisco also said he doesn't think he did anything wrong. He doesn't think the case will hurt his chances to win the sheriff's race.

"I don't care if you're white or black or Hispanic, if you're a Republican, a Democrat or unaffiliated; as sheriff, I serve at the discretion; of the discretion of all citizens, and the citizens need to be treated fairly," Crisco said.

The Oakboro Police Department has asked the SBI to step in to do its own independent investigation.

Crisco also told Channel 9 he and the police chief have been in contact with Sturdivant's family.

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