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Franklin County: Former sheriff's office employee charged, accused of keeping debit card meant for inmate

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation charged Lashaunda Jones, a former Franklin County Sheriff's Office administrative employee, with obtaining property by false pretense. An arrest warrant alleges she kept a preloaded debit card in 2023 that she was supposed to mail to an inmate.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Staff · Published

What we know

Confirmed

  • The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation arrested Lashaunda Jones on Tuesday, Oct. 27.Confirmed by Court records, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 27)
  • Jones is charged with obtaining property by false pretense, a Class H felony.Confirmed by N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and arrest warrant, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 27)
  • At the time of the alleged offense in 2023, Jones was an administrative employee with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.Confirmed by Arrest warrant, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 27)
  • The Granville County Sheriff's Office confirmed Jones was working there and was fired Tuesday.Confirmed by Granville County Sheriff's Office statement, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 27)
  • The sheriff's office asked the SBI to investigate in August after doing its own review and finding irregularities.Confirmed by SBI spokesperson Chad Flowers, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 27)

Alleged or reported

  • Jones was supposed to mail a preloaded debit card to an inmate but used the money for herself.Arrest warrant, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 27). Charges are accusations. Everyone charged is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court

Still unknown

  • How much money was on the card
  • When Jones is next due in court
  • Whether Jones has a lawyer

What this means for you

Public safety
This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

A former Franklin County Sheriff's Office employee is charged with keeping a debit card that was meant for an inmate, according to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, WRAL reported.

Lashaunda Jones faces a felony charge of obtaining property by false pretense. Court records show the SBI arrested her on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Charges are accusations. Everyone charged is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. We have not found a public statement from Jones or from a lawyer for her.

What investigators say happened

According to the arrest warrant, Jones was supposed to mail a preloaded debit card to an inmate in 2023, but instead used the money for herself. At the time, she was an administrative employee with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, the warrant says.

SBI spokesperson Chad Flowers told WRAL that the sheriff's office asked the SBI to investigate in August, after doing its own review and finding irregularities. He would not say how much money was on the card.

Obtaining property by false pretense is a Class H felony. That class applies when the value involved is less than $100,000.

Fired by Granville County

The Granville County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Jones was working there and that she was fired Tuesday.

"The charges are allegations, and the individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law," the Granville County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The office said it will not comment on the pending charges.

What we don't know yet

The SBI has not said how much money was on the card. Jones's next court date was not included in the information we reviewed. We did not find a separate release from the SBI or the Franklin County Sheriff's Office when we checked early Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Timeline

  • 2023: The arrest warrant says Jones, then a Franklin County Sheriff's Office administrative employee, kept a preloaded debit card meant for an inmate (arrest warrant, via WRAL).
  • August 2026: The sheriff's office asks the SBI to investigate after its own review finds irregularities (SBI, via WRAL).
  • Tuesday, Oct. 27: The SBI arrests Jones and charges her with obtaining property by false pretense. The Granville County Sheriff's Office fires her (court records and Granville County Sheriff's Office, via WRAL).

What happens next

The case will go through the Franklin County courts. We will update this story if the SBI releases the amount involved or when Jones's court dates are set. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No official agency photo was released with this story.

Why it matters

Families who send money to people in jail rely on sheriff's office staff to handle it properly. Investigators say this case involves a sheriff's office employee who was trusted with an inmate's money.

Our video on this story

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Updates

  1. Oct 27, 2026, 11:05 PM

    WRAL reports the SBI charged former Franklin County Sheriff's Office employee Lashaunda Jones with obtaining property by false pretense, and the Granville County Sheriff's Office says it fired her Tuesday.

Sources

  1. Former Franklin Co. Sheriff's Office employee charged with stealing debit card meant for inmate (WRAL, Oct. 27, 2026, citing an arrest warrant, court records, SBI spokesperson Chad Flowers and a Granville County Sheriff's Office statement)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, court records and Granville County Sheriff's Office, via WRAL · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 3:55 AM

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