WILMINGTON — A local survivor of domestic abuse is speaking out after a whirlwind six months that, in her quest for help, led to further trauma. She claims a law enforcement officer assigned to her case took advantage of her while vulnerable and abused his position of power. The former detective in question was fired earlier this month by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Dennis McCall was terminated from the NHCSO on Feb. 11. Having been hired in 2012 as a part-time detention officer, McCall worked his way to full-time and up the ranks throughout the last decade or so. He was promoted to deputy by 2016 and then detective on June 24, 2025.
But by November 2026, McCall was demoted and transferred to patrol before being terminated altogether on Feb. 11, 2026. According to organizational charts from the sheriff’s office, as located at the New Hanover County public email terminal, McCall became a school resource officer. As of January 2026, he was positioned at Pine Valley Elementary School.
According to his disciplinary records, McCall was let go for the same reasons he was demoted three months ago: breaking office policies in personal conduct, conduct unbecoming/improper conduct, abuse of position, and misuse of agency equipment/resources.
Per personnel laws, the sheriff’s office can’t disclose details that led to the termination; only basics like promotions and demotions, salaries, hiring and firing dates are public record.
His termination came two days after the State Bureau of Investigation started a case against him at the request of the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, according to sheriff spokesperson Lt. Jerry Brewer. Sheriff Ed McMahon signed the termination papers on Feb. 11 and filed the revocation of McCall’s title in the NHC court system on Feb. 17.
An SBI spokesperson confirmed the investigation began Feb. 9 but could not provide details regarding its context. However, a domestic abuse survivor confirmed to Port City Daily that the agency’s investigators came to her house earlier this month to take testimony about an experience she had with an NHCSO detective.
Det. McCall was assigned to Brianna B.’s case last fall (Port City Daily is protecting the DV victim’s anonymity with a pen name). In a toxic relationship with an abuser, Brianna B. said she was deflated mentally and physically harmed when she reached out to NHCSO for help.
“My ex used to do really crazy things and it was literal torture,” she described. “And that’s exactly what Detective McCall preyed on.”
Brianna B. said she was upfront with McCall about the extent of the abuse and rape she endured during the relationship, as well as therapy she was seeking for PTSD and complex PTSD — the former stems normally from a singular event while the latter tackles prolonged or repeated abuse. She said she showed him videos, photos and texts documenting the abuse.
“And he started texting me back a lot,” Brianna B. alleged, “more than any cop should.”
Often the exchanges, she said, included collecting information about her case, but messages were also sent to check on her.
One day Brianna B. was trying to upload a video relevant to her case to the NHCSO portal, but the file was too large, and she recalled the 49-year-old detective visited her house to collect the evidence instead. When McCall arrived, she was in her pajamas and wearing a bed jacket, something her deceased grandmother passed down to her.
“It’s not sexual lingerie,” Brianna B. described — “literally a blue fuzzy sweater you wear to bed. All three buttons, that go from the pelvic bone to the breast area, were fastened.”
She said the detective sat down on the couch next to her and within seconds reportedly grabbed her phone from her hands without asking and began perusing her photos. Scared to say anything, Brianna B. remembered him smirking and laughing.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said, discovering he was looking at nude images of her on her phone, zooming in on various areas of her body. “He’s supposed to be a cop — not a predator. I had taken those for my new boyfriend at the time.”
However, what happened next, she said, gave her the gumption to speak out. According to Brianna B., the detective reached over her in an attempt to unbutton her bed jacket, proceeded to open it and touched her breast.
“I was shocked and just ripped my phone out of his hands and said, ‘That can’t happen,’” she recalled, also asking him to leave. “I’m not even sure if he ended up getting the file.”
She immediately blocked his phone number.
Though Brianna B. said she didn’t issue a complaint, within a few weeks she was informed by advocates from a local nonprofit agency that McCall was no longer her detective. He was demoted in November “based on an investigation and review of performance/conduct on or about October through November 2025,” but why remains unclear.
Since the sheriff’s office doesn’t give granular information about McCall’s demotion, Brianna B. speculated it could have been from a similar but separate incident with another victim.
She said she heard from people in the community with similar stories once she took McCall’s most recent text exchanges live to a social media group, What’s Happening in Wilmington (and surrounding areas). She made a post detailing what she had been through after he allegedly reached back out to her at the beginning of February.
“There’s so many people coming forward to me now,” Brianna B. said, estimating a dozen — both men and women (Port City Daily attempted to reach a few but none responded by press).
Brianna B.’s post received hundreds of comments, some in support and others questioning her portrayal. After a few days, however, the post came down. Administrators of the group and Brianna B. said neither removed it; it’s unclear if it was reported to Meta. The SBI’s investigation began within 24 hours of the post gaining traction.
Brianna B. said putting her experiences on social media has helped, in that she is hearing recounts of similar actions aligning with her own experiences.
“But it also makes me angry that this is happening,” she said, calling the detective’s actions a signifier of corruption.
It was Super Bowl Sunday when she received a second round of text messages, viewed by PCD, this time from an unrecognizable Arizona-based number. It started around 9 a.m.
“It’s Deputy McCall, just checking in on you to make sure you’re doing okay. I’m no longer in the detective division and wanted to make sure someone’s been in contact with you about your case,” the first one indicated.
Brianna B. answered “no,” prompting the response: “Staying out of trouble?”
He followed up with more personal inquiries: “And you still dating that one guy? … Super proud of you. Huge step from the girl I very first met. Glad to hear you guys are still together as well. That’s awesome.”
And then continued: “This is my number if you need anything let me know. Keep up the good work.”
She responded: “Thanks so much!!”
He then wrote as a reminder: “We’re friends, remember? Even though that guy had to go and sweep you off your feet. But that’s ok. lol”
Brianna B. said she was put off by the insinuation.
“We are not friends,” she wrote. “We’re not even close to friends. You’re a detective, a cop, and law ENFORCEMENT. Go solve a f****ing murder and stop flirting with me. You’re just like they are.”
Again, she blocked the new number she said McCall reached out from. Port City Daily attempted to reach McCall at both numbers provided without success.
Since New Hanover Sheriff’s Office’s own detective was allegedly involved in the incident, an SBI investigation was launched. SBI investigators arrived at Brianna B.’s home Feb. 10, she said, to hear her account of events and collected screenshots of messages McCall sent to her.
On Feb. 11, McCall was terminated from NHCSO. The disciplinary action sheet, just like his demotion sheet, discloses the multiple policy violations and states the findings after an investigation was conducted regarding his performance from Sept. 2025 through Feb. 2026. The dates align with Brianna B.’s timeline, though no officials or agents she has spoken to have told her outright he was fired due to her case.
However, Brianna B. spoke with people off the record and in the know who have confidentially told her it’s due to her coming forward. She said she has also begun talking with a lawyer to assess further options.
“I did not antagonize this situation. I did not ask for it,” she said. “I was not doing anything. I was a traumatized victim and he took advantage of me.”
The district attorney’s office is awaiting the SBI investigation to determine if any charges should be brought forth.
Port City Daily asked the DA’s and sheriff’s offices how many cases McCall was a part of in his five-month stint as a detective, whether he was involved in any investigations that had convictions and what charges may come from the investigation. The sheriff’s office said information about McCall’s cases aren’t public information, under statute N.C.G.S. § 132-1.4. The DA’s office indicated, per its rules of conduct, speculation is inappropriate when it comes to anticipating charges from the SBI investigation.
The media outlet also inquired the sheriff’s office on how the agency handles training for domestic violence cases. Spokesperson Lt. Brewer said its employees go through rigorous training to prepare for the “full scope of investigations” to understand case management, victim and witness interviewing, legal updates, courtroom testimony, and report writing. They also learn how to work with community partners — the Domestic Violence Shelter and Services and Rape Crisis Center — to offer assistance, whether through helping with protective orders or otherwise.
“Detectives build trust with domestic violence survivors by using a trauma-informed approach that emphasizes empathy, active listening, privacy, and safety,” Brewer added. “They maintain transparency about the investigative process and consistently follow through on commitments to demonstrate reliability and accountability.”
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