WAKE FOREST — The former manager of the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market was arrested Monday evening and charged with felony embezzlement — the result of a three-month investigation by the Wake Forest Police Department into missing funds at the community nonprofit.
Michelle Lynn Fryman, 54, of Oxford, faces one count of felony embezzlement under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-90. According to an arrest warrant filed in Wake County, Fryman is accused of misappropriating $6,552.05 belonging to the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market. The alleged conduct spans nearly two full years — from February 2, 2024 through December 16, 2025 — a period that ends around the time Fryman was fired as market manager in December 2025.
Fryman was taken into custody Monday evening by the Granville County Sheriff’s Office and held at the Granville County Detention Center. A magistrate set a $20,000 secured bond. She appeared Tuesday morning as scheduled at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 303 at the Wake County Justice Center in Raleigh, where Wake County District Court Judge Rashad Ahmed Hauter presided. Fryman signed a Waiver of Counsel form, indicating she was giving up her right to a court-appointed attorney. The court certified she had been fully informed of the charges, the nature of the proceedings, and the range of potential punishments before signing.
Fryman checked box one on the waiver form — relinquishing her right to court-appointed counsel while retaining the right to hire a private attorney if she chooses. No plea was entered Tuesday. Her $20,000 secured bond was not modified.
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A disposition hearing has been scheduled for June 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 301 at the Wake County Justice Center. In North Carolina District Court, disposition hearings are typically where cases are resolved — through a guilty plea, plea agreement, or other final action.
The Wake Forest Farmers Market Embezzlement Charge
Michelle Fryman faces one count of felony embezzlement under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-90. An arrest warrant filed in Wake County alleges she misappropriated $6,552.05 belonging to the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market between February 2, 2024 and December 16, 2025 — a period of nearly two years that ended around the time she was fired as market manager in December 2025.
The Wake Forest Police Department opened its investigation in February 2026 after market employees reported missing funds. WFPD Officer J. Harris swore out the warrant on May 11. That evening of May 18, Granville County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Fryman at her Oxford home under the Wake County warrant.
As charged, the offense is a Class H felony — the lowest felony level in North Carolina. The charge carries a presumptive sentencing range of several months for defendants with no prior record. Felony embezzlement in North Carolina requires proof that the defendant had lawful custody of property belonging to another and converted it to personal use — a high evidentiary bar that prosecutors typically meet through financial records and transaction logs.
The Wake Forest Police Department Investigation
The Wake Forest Police Department investigation ran for three months before charges were filed, with no public announcement during that period. The department conducted its work quietly, building a documented financial case before the warrant was sworn. That approach — methodical, without leaks — is how embezzlement investigations are supposed to proceed, and it deserves recognition.
About the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market
The Wake Forest Farmers’ Market is an independent nonprofit corporation, not a department of the town. It operates Saturdays at 235 S. Taylor Street behind Wake Forest Town Hall and accepts SNAP benefits. Founded in 2009, the market has consistently reported gross receipts under $50,000 annually. Its vendors own and fund the market — making nonprofit financial accountability especially critical here, as missing funds come directly out of the vendor community.
Public records show that Fryman is the owner of Lee’s Hill Top Farms, Inc., a family farm business incorporated in North Carolina in 2017 that has operated as a vendor at multiple area farmers markets including the Wake Forest Farmers’ Market. Lee’s Hill Top Farm is listed as the sponsor of the Youngsville Farmers Market, a new market that launched in March 2026 at 118 E. Main St. in Youngsville. Wake Forest Matters will report further on those connections.
Court Documents
The following public records from Wake County case 26CR304067-910 are embedded below. All documents are available publicly through the NC Courts eCourts Portal.
Arrest Warrant — Filed May 11, 2026
Source: Wake County General Court of Justice, Case 26CR304067-910
Editor’s Note: This article is based entirely on public court records filed in Wake County case 26CR304067-910, Town of Wake Forest public communications, IRS tax records, and North Carolina Secretary of State filings. Michelle Fryman is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. A disposition hearing is scheduled for June 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. at the Wake County Justice Center, Courtroom 301.
Source documents: Arrest Warrant and Conditions of Release, State v. Fryman, Wake County case 26CR304067-910 (May 11–18, 2026); Town of Wake Forest press release, May 19, 2026; IRS Tax Exempt Organization records for Wake Forest Farmers’ Market Inc., EIN 35-2368502; N.C. Secretary of State Articles of Incorporation, SOSID 1110228.
Wake Forest Matters will follow this case as it develops. Next court date: June 9, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Wake County Justice Center, Courtroom 301.
Wake Forest Matters is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom covering Wake Forest, NC. We report on local government, schools, business, and community life — free to read and reader-supported. Fearless. Local. Loud.
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