Politics

Griffin hires Newman as staff attorney

By Bill Moss, Published: September 9, 2026

Hendersonville attorney Greg Newman, who was removed as District Attorney for Henderson, Transylvania and Polk counties in 2021, has been hired as the new staff attorney for the Henderson County Sheriff's Office.

Newman became only the second district attorney to be removed from office five years ago after a hearing that contained testimony about his handling of a child-sex abuse. Newman, who was removed from office by Superior Court Judge Robert C. Ervin in April of 2021 after a three-day hearing on allegations of misconduct, including that he failed to notify the family of a young abuse victim of a plea agreement he had accepted.

Sheriff Lowell Griffin announced Newman's appointment in a Facebook post first reported Wednesday by WLOS-TV. 

Newman, who served as Hendersonville's mayor from 2005 to 2009, served as district attorney from 2013 until he was removed eight years later.

Griffin was one of the character witnesses Newman's defense attorney called during the hearing into his conduct.

During the hearing "we've heard nothing about bribery, we've heard nothing about being drunk on duty," Griffin said. "What we've heard about is a district attorney that has cases in three different counties. My agency alone can keep his entire staff busy. ... I think there's a difference between a mistake that's made and something that's corrupt that's an intentional lie," he said.

Newman replaces Ron Justice, who retired on Aug. 28 after serving as staff attorney since 2018.

"After decades of service that included the North Carolina Army National Guard and Army Reserve, Hendersonville Police Department, Probation and Parole, private practice, and his role as Staff Attorney for our office since 2018, Ron Justice is retiring," Griffin said in a Facebook tribute to Justice.