A civil rights lawsuit has been filed alleging that a local police department and its leadership retaliated against an officer after he spoke out about a law enforcement operation that took place outside the department’s jurisdiction. The complaint was submitted by Paul Alexander Exon in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on March 30, 2026, naming as defendants the Town of Mooresville, Chief Ronald Camputciani, Assistant Chief Rhonda Faust, Captain Bucky Goodale, and Town Manager Tracey Jerome.
According to the filing, Exon was employed as a sworn police officer with the Town of Mooresville Police Department (MPD) and served as a medic on its Special Response Team. The dispute centers on Exon’s response to an inquiry from an Iredell County Sheriff’s deputy following a February 24, 2025 law enforcement operation led by North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement at 112 Birdsong Lane—an address located outside Mooresville’s jurisdiction. Exon states that he provided limited information about the completed operation to Deputy Madison Sharpe only after it had concluded and asserts that no policies or directives prohibited such communication.
The complaint reports that Exon’s participation in the operation was limited to providing medical support; he was not involved in planning or decision-making regarding the warrant or inter-agency coordination. The document emphasizes that “the operation was never designated to Plaintiff as covert, classified, or otherwise subject to any communication restriction,” and notes that public awareness of law enforcement activity at the scene had already spread via social media before execution of the warrant.
Despite these circumstances, Exon alleges that MPD command treated his post-operation conversation with Deputy Sharpe as misconduct. He claims this resulted in an internal investigation led by Assistant Chief Faust and Captain Goodale, his placement on administrative leave, and eventual disciplinary action including suspension without pay and removal from his specialized unit—actions which also led to loss of specialty pay. The complaint states: “Defendants treated Plaintiff’s speech as misconduct. They initiated an internal investigation, placed Plaintiff on administrative leave, and began constructing a disciplinary case premised on a materially false and pretextual characterization of Plaintiff’s conduct.”
Exon further alleges that within hours of being placed on leave he was abruptly barred from working previously approved secondary employment as a paramedic—a position which had been cleared under existing policy—and later disciplined for working an EMS shift after receiving conflicting guidance from supervisors regarding whether such work was permitted during administrative leave. According to Exon’s account: “That additional charge would not have existed but for Defendants’ own contradictory directives.” He also contends that MPD applied a revised secondary employment policy retroactively to justify discipline for actions taken under earlier rules.
The lawsuit describes subsequent events in which Exon claims defendants continued retaliatory actions even after his separation from MPD. These included complaints submitted by Captain Goodale to his new employer (Statesville Police Department), Mitchell Community College where he taught law enforcement courses, and state certification authorities—all allegedly intended to damage his professional reputation and jeopardize his credentials. Additionally, Exon reports being threatened with felony prosecution over departmental property he did not possess.
In outlining legal arguments, Exon asserts violations of his First Amendment right against retaliation for protected speech under federal law (42 U.S.C. § 1983), deprivation of liberty interests through publication of false statements affecting his reputation (Fourteenth Amendment), denial of due process through retroactive application of policies without fair notice or consistent enforcement practices, municipal liability arising from official customs or ratification by final policymakers under Monell v. Department of Social Services, and parallel claims under Article I of the North Carolina Constitution.
Exon is seeking back pay; front pay or equivalent equitable relief; compensatory damages; punitive damages against individual defendants; expungement or correction of records containing allegedly false statements; injunctive relief prohibiting further retaliatory conduct; a name-clearing hearing; attorney’s fees; costs; and any other appropriate remedies.
The case identifies attorneys affiliated with the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association as representing Exon but does not list specific names within this excerpt. The case number is 5:26-cv-76.
Source: 526cv00076_Exon_v_Town_of_Mooresville_Complaint_Western_District_North_Carolina.pdf
