Last Updated on July 30, 2026 4:28 pm
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer has been arrested and charged after allegedly using police databases to look up an undercover officer's license plate information and passing it along to the target of a drug investigation initiated by the Watauga County Sheriff's Office, according to Charlotte news outlets citing court documents.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation arrested CMPD Officer Seth Daniel Elliott, 25, on Wednesday, charging him with one count of illegally accessing a government computer, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
According to CMPD, the SBI notified the department on June 18 that Elliott had improperly accessed the FLOCK camera system and the state's CJLEADS database on June 16 for reasons unrelated to law enforcement. Charlotte news outlets, citing a court affidavit that WataugaOnline.com has not independently reviewed, reported that Elliott was contacted that day by a target of the Watauga County Sheriff's Office drug investigation, who asked him to run the license plate of a vehicle belonging to an undercover officer, and that Elliott did so and shared the results with the target.
Elliott was placed on paid administrative assignment on June 22, and his equipment and access to criminal intelligence systems were revoked while the SBI investigation continued. Following his arrest, he was placed on unpaid administrative leave pending CMPD's internal investigation. Court records reviewed by Charlotte news outlets show he was released within hours after posting a $15,000 bond.
Elliott was hired by CMPD on Feb. 26, 2024, and is currently assigned to the department's University City Division. CMPD does not own or operate FLOCK cameras itself, but maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with FLOCK that allows its officers to access devices owned by other agencies at no charge.
CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said misusing law enforcement technology or confidential information amounts to “a betrayal of the public's trust,” and that anyone who violates that trust will be held accountable.
Elliott's case remains under investigation by both the SBI and CMPD's Internal Affairs Division. No further details about the Watauga County drug investigation referenced in the affidavit have been released.
