Mooresville Police want answers for lack of sentencing of former officer

MOORESVILLE, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — “This is the most outrageous ‘prosecution’ I have witnessed in my almost four decades in this profession,” Mooresville Police Department Chief Campurciani said during a news conference on Monday regarding a lack of sentencing for former officer Matthew Beebe.

In August 2023, Beebe was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

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On Friday, July 28, 2023, authorities said they were told Beebe allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor; he was immediately suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

Based on information from the investigation, search warrants were obtained on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, and the following day, Beebe was arrested. He was placed in the Iredell County Detention Center under a $60,000 secured bond.

Officials said a special prosecutor was named for this case due to a potential conflict with the Iredell County District Attorney because of the number of times Beebe has testified in court for the prosecution.

More charges were brought forth on Beebe after additional evidence was found at Beebe’s home in Catawba County, at which point it became a joint investigation with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.

In August 2024, Mooresville Police was contacted by Special Prosecutor Donna Rainwater who said Beebe would take a plea on Sept. 24, 2024, that would include time in state prison.

However, on Sept. 23, less than 24 hours before the sentencing was scheduled, MPD said an investigator was contacted by Rainwater saying “[Beebe] is pleading to two counts of indecent liberties from Iredell and one count from Catawba. He will receive consecutive probationary sentences, a 30-year registry, and surrender his LEO certificate.”

This is the most outrageous ‘prosecution’ I have witnessed in my almost four decades in this profession. This man committed despicable acts on a minor. At the same time, this predator continued to lead his double life and put on his public face to serve as a police officer with the Town of Mooresville.

The men and women that make up the Mooresville Police Department work so hard every day to serve this community. They are very much aware that there is a distrust of the police. That is why we treat everyone fairly with dignity and respect. We hold our officers accountable if they do not treat everyone with those same values. The ones that don’t buy into this philosophy, learn very early on that there is no safe place for them to land at the MPD. A decision like this widens the gap of distrust for the police and the whole criminal justice system.

Putting a predator like Beebe back on the streets, is not only dangerous but irresponsible. The entire Mooresville Police Department, the Town of Mooresville Board of Commissioners, the Town Manager, and the dozens and dozens of people I have heard from everyday over the course of the last week about this sentencing want and deserve answers to this debacle.

Mooresville Police Department Chief Campurciani

Watch Monday’s full news conference below:

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