Cherokee County deputy placed on leave amid investigation into alleged online harassment

CHEROKEE COUNTY, NC – A Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office corporal has been placed on administrative leave and is under internal investigation following allegations that he operated an anonymous Facebook page used to harass a woman he previously arrested.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has reportedly requested an independent investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The allegations involve Corporal Charles Mills and Natasha Lopez, who said she spent months attempting to identify the person behind anonymous social media pages that repeatedly targeted her, shared personal information about her family and published artificial intelligence-generated content depicting her.

According to the Solicitor General’s Office, Mills created and owned the Facebook page at the center of the allegations. The page, identified as “Not So Noble,” has since been deleted.

The controversy stems from an August 2025 incident involving Mills and Lopez at her home during an investigation involving her 21-year-old son.

Court records reviewed by the station indicate that a judge had not signed a search warrant at the time Mills entered the home. A warrant signed later sought permission to search the residence for Lopez’s son’s cellphone, although the son did not live there.

Lopez was seen calling 911 to report the deputy’s entry. While she was on the phone with the dispatcher, Mills arrested her on an obstruction of justice charge.

Lopez has since publicly challenged the arrest, arguing that it was unconstitutional. She has discussed the case on her own social media page.

One page, “Not So Noble,” allegedly accused Lopez of spreading misinformation and seeking attention online, which was allegedly created approximately four months ago.

She also alleged that the page published AI-generated images depicting a fictitious OnlyFans account using her face.

Lopez said she repeatedly reported the pages, only to see new ones appear after previous accounts were removed.

After learning that Mills allegedly operated the page, Lopez criticized the conduct, particularly given his position in law enforcement and his involvement in her case.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has placed Mills on administrative leave pending the investigation. The GBI has been asked to conduct an independent review of the allegations.

No further details about the investigation or any potential disciplinary action were provided in the report.