Former sheriff’s candidate arrested

By DEUCE NIVEN

    A former candidate for Columbus County Sheriff is free on bond following his arrest Wednesday on several criminal charges, jail records show.
    Calvin Tyrone Norton, 37, was arrested by Whiteville police on warrants obtained by the State Bureau of Investigation, charged with two counts each of exploiting a disabled person and uttering a forged document, one count of obtaining property by false pretense.
    Norton was released from the Columbus County Detention Center after posting a $15,000 bond.
    Norton, in a news release he issued Wednesday, denied wrongdoing, and said the accusations against him involve his care for his brother, Carlos Sutton, prior to his death, and the handling of his estate.
    Norton was one of five candidates seeking nomination for Columbus County Sheriff in May 2014, finishing last with 79 votes. Lewis Hatcher, who was appointed sheriff in January 2014, claimed 79.4 percent of the vote with 6,239 ballots cast for him.