Hubert Stone

Walter Hubert Stone (died February 11, 2008) was an American law enforcement officer who served as the Sheriff of Robeson County, North Carolina, from 1978 to December 1994.

Stone was raised in Robeson County, and in 1953 became a municipal police officer. He served as police chief of Fair Bluff from 1954 to 1957, when he was hired as a county sheriff's deputy. He was promoted to the job of detective before being elected Sheriff of Robeson County in 1978. He restructured the organization of the sheriff's department, assigning sergeants and detectives to districts in the county.

During his tenure the county experience a significant level of drug trafficking, and he oversaw the doubling in size of his office's drug enforcement division and worked closely with District Attorney Joe Freeman Britt to prosecute narcotics-related offenses. As a Democrat, he became a leading figure in local politics and was often sought by candidates for his support.

Stone's tenure as sheriff was marred by allegations of corruption, namely accusations that he was involved in the narcotics trade, but he was never charged with any crimes in connection with his shrieval service. His department also oversaw the investigations of the high-profile murders of Lumbee activist Julian Pierce and James R. Jordan Sr., father of basketball player Michael Jordan. Stone decided to retire in 1994 and was succeeded by Glenn Maynor. He attempted to regain the office of sheriff in 1998 but lost to Maynor by a large margin. He died in 2008.

Early life Walter Hubert Stone was raised in McDonald, North Carolina, United States.

Stone married Norma McCullers in 1953. They had three children. to fill a vacancy. He worked for 13 years as a uniformed officer in the sheriff's department before becoming a detective. In March 1973 Stone led a group of sheriff's deputies in dispersing a crowd of Tuscarora demonstrators at the Prospect School rallying in favor of maintaining all-Native American schools. The following year he led a four-month long investigation into drug, alcohol and firearms violations in cooperation with other agencies. This led to the largest crackdown on such violations in county history up to that point, with dozens arrested for alleged offenses.

Shrieval career Election and early tenure Stone ran for the office of Sheriff of Robeson County in 1978 with the support of outgoing sheriff McLeod. and faced no opposition in the general election. In his first term he restructured the organization of the sheriff's department, assigning sergeants and detectives to districts in the county. but he was never charged with any crimes in connection with his shrieval service. In particular, he was criticized for a perceived closeness to drug dealers, especially when he appeared as a character witness in a 1985 trial for a local man charged with cocaine dealing and wrote a letter asking for the release of another who had purchased large quantities of marijuana from undercover federal agents. A sheriff's deputy arrested by federal investigators for drug dealing in the 1980s testified under oath that one county dealer paid Stone $300 in a protection racket for every of cocaine he sold. The subsequent state investigation found no evidence of malfeasance in the sheriff's department. In late July 1993, James R. Jordan Sr., father of basketball player Michael Jordan, disappeared. On August 3 a body was found with a bullet wound in a swamp in South Carolina by a fisherman, and a few days later his car was discovered in Fayetteville. The body was identified as Jordan's a week later. Deese denied having any connection with Demery or the murder.

Later career and retirement In a 1994 GQ interview Stone was quoted as saying, "Anytime you look down the street and you see a black and an Indian guy, you've got crime. You know you're not supposed to look at things like that, but that's the way it is." He later denied saying this, telling The News & Observer that he never had "any racial thoughts in my mind whatsoever". He decided not to run for reelection in 1994 and reportedly favored detective Lum Edwards to succeed him. Edwards was defeated by Maynor in the Democratic primary and Stone was succeeded by Maynor on December 5. He then applied to become a deputy U.S. Marshal, being nominated by U.S. Representative Charlie Rose for the position of supervisor in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Some of the deputies charged had worked under Stone. He maintained "When I left I don't believe anyone could say they were not real clean, straightforward guys. With no supervision, over time they just changed."

Later life Stone's first wife died in 1974.