Sheriff’s deputy fired, faces charges after leading armed white mob to black teen’s home

In this Thursday, May 7 photo, provided by the Port City Daily, high school senior Dameon Shepard, right, his mother, Monica Shepard, and their attorney Jim Lea, left, pose for a photo at the Shepard's home in the Rocky Point area of Pender County, in North Carolina. New Hanover County Sheriff's Deputy Jordan Kita faces criminal charges after authorities say he led a group of people to the wrong location, the Shepards' home, in a search for a missing girl (later found safe). Kita has also been fired. There were no reports of a warrant.(Mark Darrough/AP)

A peaceful evening was shattered last week for a South Carolina woman and her high school son as they found themselves fending off an armed mob seeking a missing teenage girl who the two knew nothing about.

The group included a sheriff’s deputy who has now lost his job and will face charges, reported WECT-TV.

New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputy Deputy J.T. Kita will be charged with forcible trespass, breaking and entering, New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David said Friday. He will also be charged with willful failure to discharge duties related to his failure to uphold the responsibility of being a sworn officer, NBC News reported.

Kita has also been fired, David said.

Another group member, Austin Wood, will be charged with going armed to the terror of the community, reported WECT.

They were trying to find 15-year-old Lekayda Kempisty, who had gone missing but was later found safe, according to the Associated Press. They sought someone named Josiah.

The group of self-styled vigilantes decided they knew where to look.

Except that they didn’t.

High School senior Dameon was playing video games, and Monica Shepard was upstairs asleep, when the group allegedly tried to force their way in, led by Kita.

In this Thursday, May 7 photo, provided by the Port City Daily, Dameon Shepard, a high school senior, poses for a photo at his home in the Rocky Point area of Pender County, in North Carolina. (Mark Darrough/AP)

The Shepards, who are African-American, are now preparing a civil suit, according to a letter drafted by family attorney James Lea to New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David.

The commotion woke Shepard, who tried to get the guys to leave. But instead, an armed, uniformed Kita stopped her from shutting the door. Reports did not mention a warrant.

“He just said, ‘I’m going to step inside, close the door and talk to you guys,’ ” Monica Shepard said, according to WECT-TV. “And I said, ‘No, you’re not.’ He had his foot on the threshold of my door, holding the door open, and he said it again, he said, ‘I’m going to step inside, close the door, and I’ll talk to you,’ when I said, ‘No you’re not.’ ”

Not only did the men have the wrong house, but the occupant they were seeking also hadn’t lived there in a month, the Shepards told the alleged invaders repeatedly. Dameon’s name was prominently displayed on a lawn poster congratulating him on his high school graduation.

David mentioned that Kita had some sort of familial connection with Lekayda, according to WECT.

At one point, Lea’s letter said, the group realized they had the wrong house and began breaking up. But by then the Pender County Sheriff’s Office was on the scene, and the group turned around to follow the deputies to the Shepards’ property, Lea’s letter alleges, according to WECT.

Among the many questions arising from the incident is why it took five days to get an arrest. Pender County Sheriff Alan Cutler admitted on Friday that there may have been enough evidence to arrest the mob on the spot that Friday but that he’d wanted to get more information.

Lea was underwhelmed.

“I’m glad they’ve done what they’ve done so far, but we’re conducting our own investigation,” Lea told WECT. “We are approaching it from a civil liability standpoint — not criminal — that’s their job. But we are glad this has been brought to light. As soon as we have completed our investigation, we’ll announce what civil action we intend to take.”

The Shepards are still traumatized. Several incidents have come to light of late, in particular the shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, gunned down by a white father-son pair as he jogged in Georgia.

“Coming to the door like that with a mob of people with guns, what do we expect?” Monica Shepard told WECT. “What were their intentions? What if he was the person they were looking for, or what if I was not home? What would’ve happened? I don’t want to have that conversation. I don’t want him to be a statistic. It’s scary.”