The couple ex-police chief Anthony Spivey called “ma and pa” have been jailed for helping Spivey hide form law enforcement.
Harold Dean and Debbie Sasser, both of Fair Bluff, were arrested Thursday and charged with obstruction of justice. Bond was set at $100,000 each, according to jail reports. Spivey was arrested after fleeing an aunt’s home in South Carolina early Thursday. He waived extradition and was returned to the Columbus County Detention Center around 11 a.m. Friday (today). Wearing handcuffs, jail scrubs and flip-flops, Spivey kept his head lowered and refused to answer when ask for a comment.
Sheriff Jody Greene said Spivey now faces 40 charges of failure to appear, and his bond was originally set at $1 million after a new order for arrest was issued Wednesday. Judge Ashley Gore raised that bond to a total of $6 million around noon today. He now faces an additional charge of obstruction of justice.
The Sassers are alleged to have assisted Spivey in what is being called a “pseudocide.” Spivey drove Sasser’s pickup to the Sandy Hills Hunting Club Sunday, launched his boat and fired a round from a.22 rifle found in the boat to make it look like he had taken his own life. Dean Sasser delivered suicide notes to several people after saying a family member found them in his mailbox.
For three days, personnel from the sheriff’s office, Wildlife Commission, Highway Patrol and multiple water rescue teams scoured the Lumber River from the hunting club downstream. The land, sea and air search produced no evidence that Spivey had taken his own life, Sheriff Jody Greene said.
Meanwhile, investigators developed information that Spivey was actually hiding in South Carolina. Spivey was arrested by Horry County Police and deputies at an aunt’s home in Loris early Thursday morning. He is scheduled to be brought back to Columbus County today.
Spivey was arrested in April 2021 on more than 70 charges of stealing drugs, money and guns from the Chadbourn evidence locker. At his arraignment, District Attorney Jon David said Spivey would “doctor shop” to obtain prescription painkillers. Spivey was also charged with selling firearms that had been seized or were issued to the CPD. Evidence from several cases either disappeared or was so compromised the suspects were freed, David said.
The ex-police chief was later charged with obtaining property by false pretenses after allegedly collecting money for a child who was diagnosed with cancer, then keeping the money when the boy died.
Spivey’s home in Fair Bluff was burned in September, just before it was set for a tax sale.
Spivey was arrested again in February after allegedly taking two catalytic converters from a garage where he worked in Tabor City. Spivey hid the devices in boxes that he told his employer would be used to wrap Christmas presents.
Spivey spent several months in the Bladen County Detention Center before he was released on $500,000 bond, down from the initial $1 million. Spivey was due in court Monday and faced possible revocation of the bond.
We’ll have a report from the press conference this afternoon.
