BURLINGTON, N.C. -- Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson is claiming North Carolina's highest civilian honor for a second time despite a federal lawsuit accusing him of racial profiling.
The Times-News of Burlington reports the sheriff received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on Tuesday.
Johnson had won the award bestowed by the governor in 2001 after a three-decade career with the State Bureau of Investigation.
He's believed to be the only person honored twice. Duplicate awards have been issued previously, but they were due to record-keeping errors.
A federal judge is in the midst of deciding a lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department accusing Johnson of detaining and arresting Latinos without probable cause. Johnson has denied the allegations and won election to a fourth four-year term in November.
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