The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation searched the Brookford Police Department on Jan. 27 after a man said the town's police chief secretly recorded a conversation.
Brookford Police Chief William Armstrong maintains he did nothing wrong during his investigation.
Search warrants state that on Oct. 6, 2024, Armstrong and Brookford Police Maj. B.R. Ollis went to the home of 81-year-old William Powell Crooks as part of their investigation into the 1992 death of 13-year-old Dee Dee Dawkins.Â
“Armstrong purposely left his cellphone recording at Crook’s residence,†the search warrants said. The search warrants said Armstrong and Ollis returned for the cellphone around 10 minutes later. Crooks lives in the Lake Hickory Mobile Home Park on Kool Park Road NE in Hickory.
“I was attempting to look into a 1992 cold case involving a 13-year-old juvenile. However, throughout my investigation, I’m finding many things that are not making sense,†Armstrong said on Monday. “However, I will leave that there for now. Now, I am under investigation for attempting to solve that 33-year-old case. A quest for justice that's been met with no assistance and constant hindrance at every turn. And I think it's a very interesting situation, but it's a challenge that I'm determined to overcome.â€
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Candidate in 2026?
Armstrong said the searches came on the heels of him mentioning he might run for Catawba County sheriff in 2026.
“They're working faster on me than they did the cold case itself, and that's a shame,†Armstrong said. “But you know, I think that it's important that we let the facts speak for themselves, and that we let you, the community, be the judge for yourselves on what's going on here. And I believe over time, we'll let this stuff unfold.â€
William Crooks, 81, during an interview inside of his mobile home in Hickory on Feb. 3.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation searched the Brookford Police Department and Armstrong’s cellphone on Jan. 27 to obtain a recording of the interview with Crooks and written documentation of the interview.
Crooks said he found out about the search of the Brookford Police Department on Monday. “I didn’t like it. I mean, would you?†Crooks said about possibly being recorded without his knowledge.
Crooks said he had nothing to do with the death of Dee Dee Dawkins. Crooks said he didn’t know Dee Dee. He added that he may have seen her at a friend’s house once but didn’t talk to her. Crooks said the Brookford police told him they had DNA evidence in the Dee Dee Dawkins case, and he offered to take a polygraph.
“I’d like to ask him (Armstrong), 'Why’d you do me like that? Why didn’t you just ask me what you wanted to know,'†Crooks said. “I didn’t have nothing to say no way. He thought I was going to jump on the phone and say, ‘Man I’ve got to do this and do this,’ you know?â€
The front of Brookford Town Hall on Feb. 3. The Brookford Police Department is located inside the building.
No charges yet
No charges have been filed against Armstrong in the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation case as of Monday. No charges have been filed in the Dee Dee Dawkins case, as well.
Dee Dee Dawkins was found dead in the Henry Fork River in the summer of 1992. All she was wearing was a bra and a shoe, according to Hickory Daily Record articles from 1992.
Dee Dee's family members were not immediately available for comment on Monday afternoon.
How the SBI got involved
The search warrant said on Nov. 7, 2024, Brookford Police Maj. B.R. Ollis traveled to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office to pick up a file regarding the Dee Dee Dawkins case. Ollis spoke with Catawba County Sheriff’s Office Lt. M. Hoyle while at the sheriff’s office, according to the search warrant.
The search warrant said Ollis told Hoyle about the recording of Crooks. Hoyle then contacted the SBI. SBI began an investigation into the Brookford police regarding the recording. The search warrant said the recording is a violation of N.C. General Statute 15A-287, interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communication.
Ollis and Armstrong were interviewed by N.C. State Bureau of Investigation Special Agent R.G. Crawley.
“Major Ollis bragged Chief Armstrong had left his cellphone there,†the search warrant said. “Chief Armstrong initially did not recall this until further prompting by Major Ollis. Chief Armstrong admitted to purposely leaving his cellphone behind to record Crooks to see if he called anyone or made any statements about their investigation once they left. Chief Armstrong laughed and advised Crooks did not make any statements and they only recorded 20 minutes of (the TV show) ‘Gunsmoke.’â€
The search warrant said Crawley asked for the recording of Crooks to assist Brookford police with their investigation into the death of Dee Dee Dawkins. Crawley reviewed the recording on Jan. 9, according to the search warrant.
“Crawley noted the ending of the interview was missing and did not contain the aforementioned Gunsmoke recording, indicating the interview had been altered,†the search warrant said.
