Sheriff: Former deputy accused of sex offense was 'good employee'

Sheriff Ed Brown said Wednesday that Edward A. Negron, a former Onslow County deputy accused of a sex offense with a child more than 10 years ago, was a good employee.

Brown was contacted by acting Col. Charles Carnes on June 28 about information he received from a father concerning his now 27-year-old daughter, according to a press release from the Onslow County Sheriff's Office. The father told Carnes that a sex act occurred more than 12 years ago between his daughter, who would have been 14 or 15 at the time, and Negron, who was 23 at the time, according to the sheriff. However, Negron's birthdate and the date of the alleged offense as listed on warrants indicate he would have been 22 at the time.

Brown said the daughter did not tell her father about the alleged sex act, which reportedly take place on Camp Lejeune and in the city of Jacksonville, until "very recently."

Negron was called to Brown's office June 29, at which time he resigned.

"I was not given any information relative to what had occured 12.5 years ago," Brown said in the release.

Negron was employed by the office from Sept. 3, 2009 to June 29, 2010.

When Brown spoke to the father July 1, he repeated what he'd told Carnes previously, according to the release.

"I recommended to the father that he contact the Jacksonville Police Department and Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS). I contacted both agencies to give them heads up.  I never heard another word of this incident until Tuesday, July 27, 2010," Brown said. "Neither I nor any other employee of the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office had heard anything relating to this matter before June 28, 2010, when Colonel Carnes was contacted by the father of the victim."

Negron is accused of committing and attempting to commit a lewd and lascivious act upon a girl who was under the age of 16 at the time. The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred Jan. 1, 1998, according to warrants.

Negron has arranged to turn himself into authorities on Thursday, Sheriff’s Maj. Donnie Worrell told The Daily News previously.