Swain County sheriff retires amid sex misconduct charges

BRYSON CITY — The longtime sheriff of Swain County whom some women accused of sexual misconduct has retired before he could be permanently removed.

Curtis Cochran, who was first elected Swain County sheriff in 2006, retired from the post effective July 1, according to a statement from the county Board of Commissioners. The chief deputy is performing the sheriff’s duties while the commissioners decide who will serve out the remainder of Cochran’s four-year term through late 2026, the statement said.

Cochran, 72, was charged in state courts with felonious restraint and misdemeanor sexual battery, soliciting prostitution and assault on a female, according to June 27 arrest warrants. The same day, Ashley Hornsby Welch, the district attorney for Swain and six other western counties, filed a petition seeking to remove Cochran from office for “willful misconduct and maladministration in office.”

A Superior Court judge immediately suspended Cochran from office pending a final court ruling. But the removal petition becomes moot with Cochran’s retirement. A petition-related hearing set for Monday in adjoining Graham County was canceled, online court data said.

Welch’s removal petition included signed affidavits by two women who allege Cochran made separate unwanted sexual advances on them while he drove on land held by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Eastern Band’s reservation, known as Qualla Boundary, is in portions of Swain County.

The county of 14,000 people includes much of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that straddles the Tennessee border.

Cochran was released on bond on the state criminal charges and faces an Aug. 5 court hearing. He also is charged under Eastern Band tribal law with two counts of oppression in office and one count of abusive sexual contact, Cherokee Indian Police Department Chief Carla Neadeau said in a news release.

Cochran’s attorney didn’t respond to a phone message and emails seeking comment and additional details.

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Swain County Sheriff’s Department