Curtis Cochran was the Swain County, North Carolina, Sheriff. He was elected in 2006 and served five consecutive terms until his arrest and suspension in June 2025.
Swain County includes the Cherokee Reserve which belongs to and is governed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. That puts parts of Swain County under the jurisdiction of the tribe as well as the state and county.
The State of North Carolina has charged Cochran with felonious restraint, assault on a female, sexual battery and solicitation to commit prostitution. Cochran is also charged under the Cherokee Code with two counts of oppression in office and one count of abusive sexual contact.
Two women have come forward alleging very similar assaults. According to them, they were offered a ride by Cochran who then touched them, exposed his genitals, and assaulted them after offering them a ride.
A third woman came forward and a grand jury indicted him for 2nd-degree rape.
- Citizen Times: Update: Swain sheriff arrested, charged with sexual battery. What do court records show?
- Smoky Mountain News: The rise and ruination of Swain County Sheriff Curtis A. Cochran
Marshall, North Carolina · Wednesday, July 02, 2025