Spruce Pine Police Officer Michael Ethan Sale has been placed on investigatory suspension following complaints relating to an April 26th arrest. Haley Reanin Hodge, age 21, of Elizabethton, TN was arrested at the Bakersville Quick Market by the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department and charged with misdemeanor child abuse, resisting a public officer, being intoxicated and disruptive and also two counts of malicious conduct for spitting at officers. Detective Austin Duncan called for assistance and Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Jesse English responded as Hodge continued to be disruptive in the police car and during the booking process. Individuals who are arrested by the county are processed at the Spruce Pine Police Department at the current time while the new Sheriff’s offices are under construction. It is not clear as to when or how Spruce Pine Police Officer Sale got involved with the Hodge arrest but he was subsequently placed on suspension on May 3rd. He has been with the department since November of 2023. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is also investigating a previous incident with the Spruce Pine Police Department that evolved from a February 16th incident at Walmart. Sale was one of the officers involved in the Walmart incident. The Spruce Pine Police Department does not currently use body cams but they are included in the 2024/25 budget.
Haley Hodge
