Fired Albemarle housing inspector claims he faced retaliation by city

ALBEMARLE, N.C. — A self-described whistleblower raised concerns about public housing leading up to a scathing federal report. Eventually, the city he worked for placed a GPS tracker on his work truck and eventually fired him.

Former Albemarle Public Housing Department inspector Eric Allsbrook is now suing the City of Albemarle for wrongful termination and retaliation, claiming the city punished him after he reported the mismanagement of federal funds to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“They didn’t like what I was telling them, because I was telling them the truth,” Allsbrook told WCNC Charlotte. “I was a threat to them, and the threat was I was speaking out about the federal dollars.”

A July 2022 HUD Compliance Monitoring Review called out the City of Albemarle for irresponsible spending, financial mismanagement and failing internal controls.

During an Albemarle City Council meeting the following month, Allsbrook and several public housing tenants spoke publicly to city leaders about long-unaddressed living conditions.

“We are looking at major issues,” Allsbrook said at the time. “Not only is just HUD going to be on our back, you’re going to have everybody else on our back.”

He continues to believe taxpayer money was not spent appropriately to help public housing residents.

HUD’s findings detailed tens of thousands of CARES Act dollars spent on rubber speed bumps that were placed on city-owned streets and security cameras/pole systems. HUD determined those purchases were not CARES Act-eligible expenses. The federal agency also called out the city for spending HUD funds to help buy a truck “exclusively used by the Public Works Department” and raised questions about a missing lawnmower.

The same report identified tens of thousands of dollars more spent on a bed bug machine that no employees were certified to operate, and fencing that did not meet commercial residence standards and would eventually be removed. Beyond that, the federal agency questioned more than $1.2 million spent on an unknown number of doors, all while the physical condition of the housing authority remained “substandard.”

“If you’re receiving this (money), why is the development in such poor condition?” Allsbrook asked. “That’s taking my tax dollars, the community’s tax dollars and you’re throwing it away and when I seen that, something had to be done.”

Current Amhurst Gardens residents, who asked WCNC Charlotte to protect their identities amid retaliation fears, said they’ve “never” seen any significant improvements and described the conditions still today as “horrific.”

“They have a lot of mold in the apartments,” one resident said. “The tenants are suffering. It’s everybody put a band-aid on it, but nobody is there to really fix the problem.”

As far back as April 2021, Allsbrook warned HUD of the “ongoing deterioration” of the public housing apartments, “despite the City’s knowledge of the issues,” his lawsuit says.

“The HUD officials met with me and (a coworker),” he said. “We met with them in the conference room for two days. They took notes very thoroughly. I knew I was right all along.”

Allsbrook said his passion for housing started with his father, a home builder, and eventually led to a fulfilling and long career with the city. In 2022, he even served as acting maintenance supervisor for several months, considered “pivotal” in the housing authority passing its first federal inspection in more than a decade, his lawsuit states.

He said everything changed not long after. First, in October 2022, he said a city employee placed a GPS tracker under his work truck without his knowledge. He said the city’s decision shocked him.

“You all don’t know what I’ve been through,” he said, fighting back tears. “That really disappointed me.”

A series of disciplinary actions followed, which he calls the first blemishes on his roughly 15-year record. Records provided by Allsbrook to WCNC Charlotte show the city issued him a corrective action in November 2022 for missed punches on his timecard.

In January of 2023, he said he filed a discrimination charge after a coworker “made a racist and derogatory comment” about him.

Just a month later, his records show the city issued another corrective action for not completing appropriate Section 8 paperwork prior to an inspection, directing contractors to complete work that had not been authorized and advising tenants to falsify income on Section 8 documents. Most recently, in April 2023, the city accused him of consistently being late for inspections, failing to complete Section 8 certification documents, and making negative comments to staff, all of which he disputed in a formal response.

In his response to the city, he said the time-clock had long been inoperable for all employees, he left paperwork incomplete because the work wasn’t finished, he had approval from the then-director to authorize work, and “totally” denied he advised any tenant to falsify income. He also said, if he was consistently late, he was never notified or written up, and requested a meeting with any coworkers who accused him of making negative comments.

The City of Albemarle fired Allsbrook in June.

“There is sufficient documentation supporting the case for termination,” his supervisor said in his termination letter.

Leading up to Allsbrook’s firing, the city cited multiple “performance concerns.” Allsbrook’s lawsuit accuses the city of “reprimanding (him) for incidents based on false or misleading information” and “Issuing negative performance write-ups despite previously writing glowing recommendations for his promotion.”

“The city just told me to go to [Hell],” he said. “‘We don’t really care about you.’ It really hurts. The city turned their back on me.”

His lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of money to cover lost and future wages, along with compensatory and punitive damages.

The City of Albemarle declined WCNC Charlotte’s on-camera interview request, providing a statement instead.

“In sum, the City denies the allegations made by Mr. Allsbrook and intends to vigorously defend the claims made in his suit,” the city’s statement said, in part. “The record will establish that the City had legitimate nondiscriminatory, nonretaliatory reasons for terminating Mr. Allsbrook’s employment and the City stands by its decision to do so.”

In addition, the city said it reserves the right to monitor the use of equipment it owns “to increase the level of service to citizens and to increase the productivity of its employees.” However, the city would not share specifics about its use of a GPS tracker in this case and did not provide WCNC Charlotte with a copy of a policy that explicitly allows for the use of a tracker without an employee’s knowledge.

“In order to put a tracker device on any city employee, you have to get authority from the mayor and his governing body and they didn’t do that,” civil rights advocate John C. Barnett, who is working with Allsbrook on this case, said. “They can’t get you on anything, so let’s track you and see if you go to the wrong house, if you go to the wrong place.”

Barnett also questioned the timing of the sudden and repeated corrective actions issued by the city.

“They need to be exposed for what they’re doing,” he said. “It’s very disappointing, and I can’t wait for his day in court.”

A spokesperson, referencing Allsbrook’s employment history, said “he was not an interim maintenance supervisor.”

The city, meanwhile, also pushed back on HUD’s findings, both at that 2022 council meeting and in a formal written response, refuting allegations of financial mismanagement and irresponsible spending and calling it “a total misunderstanding.” The city defended its purchases of speed bumps and security cameras/poles, arguing the expenses met the CARES Act requirements of supporting and maintaining “the health and safety of assisted families and individuals.”  The city dismissed concerns about the money it spent on a truck for another department, calling it “a nominal amount,” and suggested the missing lawnmower was “likely disposed of due to its age.” Nonetheless, the city agreed to reimburse HUD for the mower.

In response to the bed bug machine and fencing concerns, the city insisted it manages its resources in a proper manner and “refutes claims that it has engaged in irresponsible spending,” adding that those items “were determined to be eligible and necessary expenses.” The city also took issue with HUD’s questions about its door purchase.

“The insinuation that the ADPH simply spent $1.265 million on doors without following proper regulations, nor planning this expenditure as part of an overall refurbishment initiative, is completely inaccurate,” the city’s response stated.

Albemarle is now again in federal compliance after recently securing HUD’s blessing.

“All the (Corrective Action Plan) requirements, including the findings, observation, and recommendations, were completed and closed on January 29, 2025,” HUD said in a letter earlier this year. 

Not long after Allsbrook’s firing, he secured a new job with another area housing authority and within six months secured a promotion as a manager. That agency, which has also faced well-documented problems, fired him in September 2024, citing his “working relationship” with staff, according to public records.

Allsbrook said that termination also stemmed from him speaking up with concerns.

Contact Nate Morabito at [email protected] and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Download WCNC+ on your on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV, and stream the news that impacts you for free.