Chairman of Cabarrus Co. Commission acquitted after 16-month investigation

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – Cabarrus County Commissioner Steve Morris has been acquitted following a criminal investigation into his business transactions.

Morris is chairman of the county commission, but lost re-election by 160 votes in this year’s Republican primary in March 2024.

WBTV first reported on the NC State Bureau of Investigation’s criminal investigation in May 2023.

The investigation began after Midland Town Councilman Richard Wise filed a complaint about Morris with Cabarrus County District Attorney Ashlie Shanley. Shanley then forwarded the complaint to the SBI.

Details of the investigation were not released, but the SBI described it as “allegations of possible collusion and fraud involving the Chairman of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners.”

The final investigative reports were not sent to District Attorney Garry Frank until April 19, 2024, more than a month after Morris lost the primary election and 16 months after the complaint was assigned to the SBI.

In a letter to the State Bureau of Investigation, Frank recommended that no further investigation was necessary and authorized the SBI to close the investigation.

“I see no basis for charges against any individual,” wrote District Attorney Garry Frank.

Morris wrote a statement to WBTV claiming the investigation played a role in his lost campaign, emphasizing how close his defeat was and how personally he was attacked throughout the campaign.

“The final report exonerating me will help clear my name and restore my reputation, even if it cannot fully undo the damage,” Morris wrote. “I am concerned about the far-reaching consequences for those seeking elected office, as fear of unfounded accusations could deter good people from running.”

An SBI spokesperson told WBTV that the case was officially closed after the agency completed some routine administrative procedures.

WBTV’s investigation easily uncovered political animosity between elected officials and government officials in Midland and Cabarrus County.

Wise has previously spoken before the Board of Supervisors to complain about the county’s treatment of Midland.

During a Midland council meeting in 2023, City Manager Doug Paris presented council members with a video summary of county commissioners’ comments on the expiration of the city’s lease on a local library. Midland’s official meeting minutes state that Morris “spent 20 minutes trashing the city, including the Fourth of July fireworks.”

The animosity between the county and Midland is so great that the minutes of the May council meeting show that the city manager recommended that no Fourth of July fireworks be held “due to difficulties with the county of Cabarrus.”

WBTV asked Wise for his opinion on the SBI findings, but we did not receive a response.

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