A North Carolina county official has surrendered to authorities Monday on an assault charge, Fox 8 reported.
Wilkes County Commissioner Stoney Scott Greene surrendered to authorities on assault charges as calls for his resignation intensified. Greene voluntarily turned himself in at the Wilkes County Magistrate’s Office, facing charges of assaulting a female and domestic criminal trespassing. He was released on a $1,500 bond, according to Fox 8.
This incident adds to a series of controversies surrounding Greene, who has been under scrutiny due to a past indictment related to a dogfighting event over two decades ago. Reports from the Wilkes Journal-Patriot reveal that on Oct. 27, 2001, Greene was one of 43 people arrested during a dogfight in a local warehouse in New Jersey. An article from the Asbury Park Press dated June 27, 2002, named Greene as a participant, resulting in animal cruelty charges.
Wilkes County commissioner turns self in on assault charge amid controversy over dogfighting allegations https://t.co/9OPYl7bull pic.twitter.com/vYWRCUGeDe
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Greene, who failed to secure the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s House District 94, has labeled his past arrest a misunderstanding and claimed his charges were eventually dismissed, Fox 8 stated. Animal Wellness Action, a nonprofit organization, has actively opposed Greene’s political ambitions and accused him of breeding and selling dogs for fighting.
“Mr. Greene, according to informants and to key primary source documents, operated kennels featured in known dogfighting websites where he allegedly sold and bred pit-bull type dogs (e.g. Killer Klown Kennels and Stone Hard Kennel); noted his connection to two most infamous dogfighters—Ed Farron (from Wilkes County) and Tom Garner—and described them as ‘very influential in my knowledge’ of pit-bull-type dogs; and was arrested in 2002 for dogfighting in Dover Township in New Jersey along with more than 40 others at a staged animal-fighting event,” Animal Wellness Action said in a statement, Fox 8 reported.
A dog walks away from members of the mountain brigade “Edelweiss” mortar unit who have returned from heavy fighting amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, close to Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
In the weeks leading up to the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners’ meeting held March 19, 2024, Greene resigned as chair. Commissioner Casey Joe Johnson, who succeeded him, announced his resignation. Following his departure, the board concentrated on combating animal fighting, unanimously endorsing the FIGHT Act, which aims to toughen laws against dogfighting and cockfighting. (RELATED: Missouri Police Officer Who Ran Anti-Crime Charity Indicted In $300,000 Fraud, Laundering Scheme)
“This afternoon, we received a letter from Commissioner Greene that he would be stepping down as the chairman of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners,” Joe said in a statement, Fox 8 reported.