Ex-girlfriend of Catawba deputy asks county for $750K, says constitutional rights were violated

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By Dave Faherty

NEWTON, N.C. — The ex-girlfriend of former Catawba County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Reid said her constitutional rights were violated and the county owes her thousands.

Erica Sigmon's lawyers are now asking the county for $750,000, according to our partners at the Hickory Daily Record.

Reid, who was defeated in May’s Republican primary for sheriff, is accused of putting a tracking device from his narcotics unit on her car last summer.

He is facing five charges in the case.

Despite allegations of stalking his ex-girlfriend that led to an SBI search, Reid remained in the sheriff's race, calling the accusations a political ploy.

A judge unsealed the search warrant served by the SBI at the Catawba County Sheriff's Office after WSOC and other news organizations went to court to make it public.

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The search warrant was executed on the first day of early voting.

Investigators said the stalking allegations involved Reid allegedly placing a tracking device on his ex-girlfriend's car and then sending her several text messages of places she had traveled.

Reid talked about ending the relationship with the woman and how she was the one who was accessing his bank account and driving up and down the road in front of his house after becoming upset about the breakup.

At one point, Reid said the woman visited him at work and waited in an area where the narcotics tracking devises were openly kept.

Part of the investigation is to determine if that tracking device did come from the narcotics division Reid at one time supervised.

Reid said one reason all of this may be happening is something his ex-girlfriend told her own family.

"Investigators told her, 'This is your chance to get back at Jason Reid, and you will have a big payday by making these allegations,'" he said.

Reid also made it very clear that he had nothing to do with the search warrant being sealed.

Channel 9 has learned the current sheriff, through his attorney, petitioned the court for that to happen.

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