HARNETT COUNTY, N.C. – Three Harnett County detention officers fired and charged after a internal probe and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) investigation revealed alleged excessive force against inmates just before the New Year.
Three Harnett County Detention Officers Fired & Charged
The trio — Adam Russell Isbell, 39, Lenora Guerrant Dawson, 60, and Joseph Austin Collins, 28 — were fired on March 30, 2026, by the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. The firings reportedly stem from two ugly incidents on December 27 and December 30, 2025, where the officers are accused of assaulting and pepper-spraying inmates behind bars.
Sheriff Wayne Coats called in the SBI on January 2, 2026, for independent investigation alongside the District Attorney.
On Monday, the SBI announced that Isbell has been charged with one count of assault and battery.
Dawson has been charged with one count of injury of a prisoner by a jailer.
Collins has been charged with one count of assault and battery. His mugshot was not immediately available.Â
