Cecil Hobson<\/a>, candidate for Mitchell County Sheriff by Jeanne Troeller Sabo, member of Mountain Indivisible followed by his replies to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJeanne Troeller Sabo:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- What is your general philosophy on law enforcement, and how does it differ from the current administration and your opponent?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If a member of your department is accused of misconduct or excessive force, what is your specific protocol for ensuring a fair and transparent investigation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What role should the sheriff’s office play in addressing community-wide issues like the addiction or mental health emergencies?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What is your policy regarding cooperation with federal immigration authorities (ICE), particularly concerning detainers and access to county jails?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How will you balance your duty to enforce the law with the need to protect the First Amendment and other constitutional rights of citizens?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You are a registered republican as is the other candidate. As someone with a liberal mindset, what would set you apart from the other candidate for me?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Cecil Hobson:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nQuestion<\/strong>: If a member of your department is accused of misconduct or excessive force, what is your specific protocol for ensuring a fair and transparent investigation?<\/p>\n\n\n\nI am well-versed in the Mitchell County Sheriff\u2019s Office policy, and protocols, however, discussing or releasing specific information publicly is at the discretion of the current Sheriff. As Captain, I remain committed to respecting the chain of command and the integrity of my position.
With that being said, all allegations of misconduct or excessive force are treated seriously and investigated in compliance with our established procedures. Criminal allegations are referred to an independent authority, typically the State Bureau of Investigation, while non criminal allegations are handled within the Sheriff\u2019s Office policy. All evidence, including body camera footage, is carefully reviewed, documented, and submitted to the appropriate authority for any necessary action.
As a sidenote to your question regarding transparency, at the request of the current administration to implement body cameras, I personally worked with our finance department to locate, and carry a federal grant through approval and implementation. This grant funded the body cameras now used by our office. These cameras provide objective evidence that protects the public, supports officers, and strengthens our investigations. This is just one of several grants I have helped successfully secure. I am currently working on another grant, and while it is not the focus of this discussion, it reflects my understanding of the county\u2019s needs and finances, as well as my commitment to identify and implement resources that have generated significant savings for our county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question<\/strong>: What role should the sheriff\u2019s office play in addressing community-wide issues like addiction or mental health emergencies?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAt the Sheriff\u2019s Office, our job is to uphold the law and keep our community safe.
As officers, we are often the first on scene. Our role is to assess the situation, secure the scene, and make sure EMS and other responders can work safely. Beyond emergencies, it is part of our role to know the resources available to our county, and how to access them. We know these are sensitive issues, that affect nearly every family at some point. We must approach these situations with care and respect.
As sheriff, I will strengthen our partnerships, increase community involvement, support additional training, and ensure every situation is handled with integrity, respect, and professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question<\/strong>: What is your general philosophy on law enforcement, and how does it differ from the current administration and your opponent?<\/p>\n\n\n\nMy philosophy on law is that it is not based on opinion or politics. In North Carolina, a sheriff\u2019s duties are clearly defined by North Carolina statutes and the state Constitution, and carried out in accordance with the U.S. Constitution. Law enforcement must be impartial, protect public safety, and maintain the integrity of the office. For several years, I have served this county as Captain of our Sheriff\u2019s Office and as a Certified NC Law Enforcement Instructor. This has given me the knowledge and insight to understand and teach NC law from multiple perspectives, both as a supervisor and as an instructor. The law is not subjective; it is explicit and it must be followed exactly as written, without bias. Because I currently serve as Captain of the Sheriff\u2019s Office, I will not discuss the current administration or my opponent.
But what I will say is my focus as your future sheriff will be to uphold the law, protect our community, elevate our standards, and bring proven dedication and leadership to Mitchell County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question<\/strong>: What is your policy regarding cooperation with federal immigration authorities (such as ICE), particularly concerning detainers and access to county jails?<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn North Carolina, the Sheriff\u2019s Office does not make the law. We uphold it. Before House Bill 10, cooperation with ICE detainers was largely discretionary. House Bill 10, went into effect on December 1, 2024, and it clearly outlines our requirements. Our inmates are housed in another county, but any detainer requests would be handled according to state law, which allows a person to be held for up to 48 hours beyond their normal release if there is a court order.
As sheriff, I will continue to uphold the law in every situation, respecting constitutional rights, and protect the citizens of Mitchell County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question<\/strong>: How will you balance your duty to enforce the law with the need to protect the First Amendment and other constitutional rights of citizens?<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt is not a balancing act. Enforcing the law and protecting the constitutional rights go hand in hand. As deputies, it is essential that we know the law and understand the constitutional rights of the people we serve. As sheriff, I will continue leading with integrity while upholding the law, protecting our citizens and their freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question<\/strong>: You are a registered Republican, as is the other candidate. As someone with a liberal mindset, what would set you apart from the other candidate?<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe law does not take personal or political beliefs into account. It applies equally to everyone, and I take the oath to uphold it very seriously in every decision I make. Serving as sheriff means protecting all members of our community and leading this office with fairness, integrity, and respect, without bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will not speak about my opponent. Doing so would compromise the integrity of my position and fall short of the standards I hold for myself and for our office. My focus will remain on serving the people of our county and ensuring our sheriff\u2019s office operates with professionalism and accountability at every level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The following are questions sent to Cecil Hobson, candidate for Mitchell County Sheriff by Jeanne Troeller Sabo, member of Mountain Indivisible followed by his replies to date. Jeanne Troeller Sabo: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-1135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Handcuffs.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1135"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1199,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1135\/revisions\/1199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1135"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainindivisible.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=1135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}