Wake County deputy fired, charged with tipping off suspects about felony warrants

A Wake County sheriff's deputy has been arrested and fired after an investigation revealed he used government property and computer systems to tip off suspects about active felony warrants, according to ABC11 WTVD.

The deputy, 29-year-old Anthony Jose Garcia, was charged with one count of obstruction of justice and one felony count of accessing government computers. He was arrested at the sheriff's office and later released on a $30,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for Friday, according to WRAL.

Court documents state Garcia improperly accessed law enforcement databases to find active felony warrants and warned suspects, violating the trust placed in him as a law enforcement officer, according to the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said the office launched an immediate investigation upon learning of the allegations and emphasized that such conduct compromises the integrity of the sheriff's office. Garcia had been employed with the Wake County Sheriff's Office since August 2020.

The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to look into the matter, the sheriff's office said.