The city of Mebane has fired three employees, demoted one police sergeant to an officer’s rank, and suspended seven employees, both with and without pay, over the past year-and-a-half. Two of the employees who were disciplined – a police officer and a human resources consultant – later resigned.
The city of Mebane recently furnished The Alamance News with records of all employees who had been terminated, demoted, suspended, and/or resigned since June 2024, when the newspaper last reported a similar set of disclosures for the city of Mebane and other municipalities in Alamance County.
North Carolina’s Public Records Law requires all units of state and local government are to release certain personnel information, including the dates of disciplinary actions such as demotions, suspensions, and terminations. In the case of a termination, they must provide additional information, such as a separation letter, to explain the reasons for the former employee’s dismissal.
Terminations
The city of Mebane fired a maintenance technician and groundskeeper in February and April 2025, respectively, for failing and/or refusing to take required drug tests; a third employee in the city’s water department was fired in May 2025 for poor job performance.
The city of Mebane fired maintenance technician Brian Fields, 38, of 219 Pillow Lane in Burlington, on February 28, 2025 after he refused to take a second drug test following an on-the-job injury earlier that month.
“While operating City equipment on February 18, 2025, you had an accident and damaged City property,” Mebane human resources director Beatrice Hunter wrote in a termination letter to Fields, which was subsequently furnished in response to the newspaper’s public records request.
“As a result, and by policy, you were requested to take a drug test,” Fields’ termination letter stated. “The temperature of the sample you provided [was] not in range, so it could not be used to test for drugs. You were requested to take a second test and reused to take the test.”
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Under the city of Mebane’s personnel policies, failure to take an alcohol or drug test is grounds for immediate termination, according to the letter.
Hired by the city November 14, 2022, Fields was directed to turn over any city property in his possession by March 5, 2025.
A groundskeeper, James Sudduth, 38, of 3103 Isley Drive, Snow Camp, was fired on April 4, 2025 for failing to successfully complete a drug screening test, which is also grounds for immediate termination, under the city’s personnel policies.
Sudduth had been hired by the city of Mebane on February 26, 2024 – 14 months prior to his termination. He was fired after city officials were notified of his “removal” from the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training program at Alamance Community College for failing to successfully complete a drug screen.
The city’s “drug free workplace” policy states that positive drug test results indicating the employee was impaired on the job will result in” immediate termination, according to the termination letter that Mebane officials sent Sudduth on April 4, 2025 and furnished in response to the newspaper’s public records request.
A laboratory supervisor in Mebane’s water department was fired six months after he was hired on November 18, 2024 for a probationary employment period that was later extended to give him additional time to improve his job performance.
“These concerns have been documented and discussed with you directly,” John Dodson, Mebane’s water resources director, recalled in his termination letter to Markel Barnes, 37, of 3500 Panorama Drive in Greensboro.
Among the concerns highlighted in Barnes’ termination letter was a failure to properly calibrate chlorine meters, to ensure accurate readings and proper chlorine levels. “Under-chlorination poses a public health risk through the release of harmful microorganisms,” his termination letter stated. “Over-chlorination can damage aquatic ecosystems and lead to regulatory noncompliance.”
In one instance, Barnes had transported a chlorine meter to a private lab for calibration verification in November 2024 that later consistently produced readings near the lower acceptable threshold.
“At no point did you inform me of this, and as evidenced by the continued low readings, the issue has not been corrected,” the water resources director stated in his letter to Barnes.
Mebane city officials ultimately concluded that the “lack of accountability and disregard for essential regulatory responsibilities” supported the decision to end his employment, and that no additional extension of Barnes’ probationary period would yield any meaningful improvement, based on the termination letter that the city provided in response to the public records request.
Police department accounted for most disciplinary actions
Four members of the city’s police department were disciplined within the past 18 months; three remain employed, and one has resigned.
Former Mebane police sergeant Rodney Ward, 40, was demoted to the rank of police officer, for which he took a 10 percent pay cut, on March 6, 2025, based on details that Mebane city officials furnished in response to the newspaper’s public records request. Originally hired on September 3, 2010, Ward’s current annual salary as a Mebane police officer is $74,151.50.
Mebane police officer Stephen McCormick, 41, was suspended with pay from October 9, 2025 until November 8, 2025, the city’s disclosures reveal. He was hired by the police department on August 14, 2009 and continues to receive an annual salary of $67,378.96.
Police officer Damian Wiggins, 26, was suspended without pay for three shifts: October 28, October 29, and November 1, 2024. Wiggins has been with the Mebane police department since March 27, 2023 and currently receives an annual salary of $67,378.96, based on details that the city furnished in response to the newspaper’s public records request.
Former Mebane police officer Gary Burnette, 28, was suspended with pay for more than a year, from January 17, 2024 until February 4, 2025. He was hired by the police department on July 15, 2019 but apparently resigned after February 4, 2025; the city’s personnel records list neither a current position nor his final salary.
One longtime city of Mebane employee, building inspector Brandon Boswell, 41, was suspended both with and without pay on two separate occasions in October 2025, based on the records that Mebane officials furnished in response to the public records request.
Originally hired on September 11, 1984, Boswell was suspended with pay from October 9 until October 14, 2025. He was subsequently suspended without pay from October 15 until October 28, 2025. He continues to be employed with the city as a Building Inspector I and receives an annual salary of $68,841.93, according to Mebane city officials.
Other departments
Administrative support specialist Olivia Brown, 43, was suspended without pay for one day, on January 16, 2025. The 14-year employee of the city of Mebane was hired on March 21, 2011 and continues to receive an annual salary of $50,339.46, according to details that the city furnished to the newspaper.
Maintenance technician Mason Miller, 22, was hired on December 10, 2024 at an annual salary of $39,238.06. Miller was suspended without pay on December 22 and December 23, 2025.
Jared Vinson, 38, had been a human resources consultant for the city of Mebane since December 27, 2021. He was suspended without pay for one day, on September 26, 2024 and appears to have resigned since, based on the records that Mebane officials furnished to the newspaper.
Read earlier stories on similar municipal disciplinary actions taken by:
Elon HERE
Graham HERE
MORE CURRENT MEBANE NEWS:
• City council approves rezoning for large daycare center on South Fifth Street: https://alamancenews.com/mebane-city-council-oks-rezoning-for-large-daycare-center/
• Land being cleared for large warehouse beside Tanger Outlet facing interstate: https://alamancenews.com/land-cleared-for-warehouse-near-tanger-in-mebane/
