Former Clay County Deputy Indicted for Assault Following 2024 Involuntary Commitment Incident

Clay County Sheriff Mark Buchanan

Press Release

On 08/02/24 at around 3:45 PM Clay County Sheriff’s Officer Shane Mull met the mother of a 45-year-old man at the Sheriff’s Office. The mother reported that she was afraid of her son who lived with her near Hayesville. The mother said that during the previous night her son kept them up yelling, cursing, and screaming. The mother also said her son had busted out a door frame during this night. The mother had a valid magistrate summons to have her son evicted from the house. The mother wanted Officer Mull to serve this summons and check within the house for her son’s wellbeing.

Officer Mull and the mother found her son in the house. Officer Mull could hear the son yelling, cursing, being belligerent, and verbally abusive. At one point Officer Mull had to step between the mother and her son when the son got up in his mother’s face. Multiple attempts by Officer Mull to calm the son down failed. When the son expressed suicidal thoughts, Officer Mull took him into custody believing him to be in immediate danger to himself and others. The son was handcuffed behind his back for his safety and that of the officers, all in accordance with North Carolina Involuntary Commitment statutes.  

Officer Mull called for Clay County Officer Cameron Adams, who had a fully equipped patrol vehicle with a security cage. Officer Mull was primarily assigned as a School Resource Officer and drove a car that was not equipped and with a cage. Officer Mull and Officer Adams escorted the son out of the house without any problem. As they neared the patrol vehicle, the son was told he would be taken to the hospital for an Involuntary Commitment. At this time the son resisted, and a brief struggle ensued. Officers Mull and Adams regained control, and the son sustained a minor scratch on his shoulder.

Once to the Clay County Magistrate’s Office, the son was left in the car. He was not charged with a crime.  The son was being held for the Magistrate to be briefed by Officer Mull as to his suicidal thoughts and for the Magistrate to decide on whether to order him to be seen by a physician. While in the back seat of Officer Adams’ car the son was extremely upset with the situation, sweating profusely, argumentative, and thrashing about.

While Officer Mull was inside with the Magistrate, Detention Officer Ryan Palmer and Officer Adams monitored the son seated within the patrol vehicle. During this time an altercation ensued between Officer Adams and the son. At this time, one of the son’s teeth was knocked out.  After Involuntary Commitment Orders were issued by the Magistrate, the son was immediately transported to the Emergency Room at Erlanger Hospital in Murphy by another Officer without further incident.

After this incident, Clay County Chief Joe Wood and Lt. Tyler Faggard were immediately sent to the Detention Center to begin an Internal Investigation as to what had happened. Officer Adams resigned from his employment with the Sheriff’s Office shortly thereafter. In accordance with protocol, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (N.C. SBI) was immediately called and advised of the situation.  At the formal request of the District Attorney’s Office as well as the Sheriff’s Office, the SBI began an independent and unbiased criminal investigation into the incident. On 10/13/25, a Clay County Grand Jury returned a True Bill of Indictment for Adams for Felony Assault Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury. Adams voluntarily turned himself in, was issued a $15,000 secured bond, and was subsequently released.

I want the citizens of Clay County to know that I champion transparency and accountability when it comes to this Sheriff’s Office. It was critical that a press release not be made up until now so it would not interfere with the N.C. SBI’s investigation, the District Attorney’s decision as to prosecution, and the possibility that a Grand Jury would hear evidence from the N.C. SBI’s investigation. I expect a lot from my Officers, and they have my full support in every way.  They all know, however, they must always conduct themselves in a manner that can always withstand the highest level of scrutiny.