Cary Police Stories: Detective Mike Lindley

Story by Guest Columnist | May 4, 2010 | Tags: Community, pba, police

Info for this series from Randy Byrd, Cary PBA Chapter President.

Cary, NC – Continuing our series of Cary Police stories, we profile Detective Mike Lindley. Mike was recently nominated for the George Almond “Officer of the Year” award by his supervisor, Sgt. Randy Byrd, in recognition of his efforts in a major narcotics investigation and for his commitment to youth in the community. Here is his story.

The Largest Bust in Cary History

In September of 2008, Mike Lindley received information detailing unlawful drug activities of a suspect in Cary.   He coordinated his efforts with Detective Tom Spencer who is assigned to the DEA task force.

Detective Lindley continued to pursue the case through various investigative means means for several months.  The common belief (with the exception of Detective Lindley) was that the case had reached a dead end.

Detective Lindley kept working the investigation and continued to build the case file by monitoring the suspects activities.   In May of 2009, Detective Lindley’s efforts paid off and probable cause was developed to issue a search warrant for the suspects address.  On May 14, 2009, Detective Lindley and other Cary detectives served a search warrant on the suspect’s residence.

During the search $297,000 in United States currency was seized.  The suspect was also arrested for drug violations.  The seizure of this currency amounted to the largest currency seizure in the history of the Cary Police Department.   According to Detective Spencer, “Mike did a phenomenal job on this case.”   Sgt. Byrd added these comments,  “This case exemplifies but just one example of Detective Lindley work ethic and drive to disrupt criminal activity.”

You Can Call Him Coach

In addition to his work on this and other cases, Detective Lindley also makes a significant contribution to the community through POP Warner football.   He started with his kids when they were younger, but continued with it after they moved on.   He has been coaching for many years.  His only breaks have been when he has been deployed with his military unit overseas.

Detective Lindley has made two pilgrimages to Jenks, Oklahoma to learn from some of the best high school coaches in the country.  He has paid for these trips to make him a better coach and to help improve the skills of the kids on his team.  His goal upon retiring is to become a teacher and a coach.

In summarizing his nomination of Detective Lindley, Sgt. Byrd had these comments, “Detective Lindley is a quiet unassuming individual who contributes in a big way both to the Cary Police department and the kids he coaches.  He also is highly respected among his peers.  His actions exemplify the selfless actions that are part of George Almonds legacy and this award.”

Bio

Mike Lindley was born in Maryland  and lived in various places on the east coast before graduating from Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire in 1982.

He joined the military in 1982 and retired in 2004.  During his military career he was deployed in numerous missions overseas as helicopter pilot. He also received numerous awards for distinguished service.

In 1996, he started his law enforcement career with the Morrisville police department as a reserve officer.  He later became a full time officer with that agency before coming to the Cary police department in 2002.

During his career with the Cary police department he has served as a patrol officer and as a member of the agencies Emergency Response Team.  He currently is assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division as a detective.  Detective Lindley was recently named as the Support Services Officer of the Year for 2009.