Deputy charged with leaking warrant info to suspect
A Wake County sheriff's deputy was arrested Thursday after allegedly using office systems to alert a fugitive about active felony warrants.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Anthony Jose Garcia, a 29-year-old former deputy with the Wake County Sheriff's Office, was arrested Thursday and faces two criminal charges. Prosecutors accuse him of using government computers to tip off a wanted individual about active felony warrants.
Court documents state that Garcia accessed the systems improperly. The filings describe his actions as being done in secrecy and with malice. He has been charged with one count of obstruction of justice and one count of accessing government computers for fraud.
Garcia is no longer employed by the sheriff's office. He had joined the department in August 2020. Sheriff Willie Rowe stated that his office launched an immediate investigation once the allegations emerged.
Rowe emphasized the duty of law enforcement officers to use their tools solely for community safety. He stated, "These resources are not for any other purpose, and we will not tolerate any conduct that compromises the trust placed in us or the integrity of this office."
The sheriff's office says the case remains under investigation. Garcia is currently in custody pending the next steps in the legal process.
The incident highlights the internal controls used to monitor computer access within the department.
