Investigators: Wilmington detective won't face charges in relation to alleged crime

Matthew Prensky, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read
Aricka Sidbury, detective with the Wilmington Police Department, will not face charges in connection with an alleged crime, according to investigators.
Aricka Sidbury, detective with the Wilmington Police Department, will not face charges in connection with an alleged crime, according to investigators.

Wilmington Police Department Detective Aricka Sidbury won't face charges in California or North Carolina in relation to an alleged financial crime, according to investigators.

Sidbury has been suspended from her role at WPD since April 19 after the department was notified of the pending investigation in Marin County, California, which is just north of San Francisco. Investigators there had been investigating Sidbury since last November, but concluded that Sidbury was the victim of a money mule operation, according to Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn with the Marin County Sheriff's Office.

"Our agency will not be requesting charges at this time," Schermerhorn said in a statement to the StarNews. "We have spoken with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, who have also concluded their investigation. It does not appear they will be filing charges at this time either."

Schermerhorn added WPD has been informed of Marin County's decision. When reached for a comment Tuesday afternoon, WPD declined to comment on the matter, stating the situation is a personnel matter.

After reaching out to WPD once Sidbury became the subject of their investigation, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys were brought in to investigate if any crimes were committed in North Carolina.

More coverage: Prosecutors awaiting results of Wilmington police officer investigation as court dates near

Since Sidbury's suspension, prosecutors in New Hanover County have been waiting to get more details to determine what to do with the various cases the WPD detective is involved in. As recently as last week, District Attorney Ben David confirmed that his office was still waiting for word, and that none of the cases coming up in the next few weeks would be impacted by Sidbury's status.

Sidbury, 33, is a 12-year veteran of the police department, and daughter to Wilmington city clerk Penelope Spicer-Sidbury.

Sidbury was born and raised in Wilmington. Three years ago, she was honored as one of Wilmington's 40 under 40, an award reserved for those in Wilmington who are helping the Cape Fear region prosper.

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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington police detective Aricka Sidbury won't face charges in NC, CA