Parker
The fate of District Attorney Michael Parker may not be known to the public until early next week.
The three-member panel that heard the challenge to Parker’s residence adjourned its public session around 6 p.m. Tuesday but continued to meet behind closed doors for at least two hours.
The panel consisted of members of the boards of election from the three counties affected - Richmond, Anson and Stanly.
As it adjourned its public session, Richmond representative and panel chair Hilda Pemberton spoke of the importance of the decision coming in a timely manner.
“The panel is going to be deliberate and we will render a written decision, hopefully very shortly,” Pemberton told those in attendance. “We are very mindful of the time frame involved with the election.”
Wednesday, she explained the hold-up is with the panel’s special counsel Sue Nichols, who is preparing the decision in written form.
“(The decision should be released) as soon as the attorney drafts the document,” Pemberton said. Nichols is out of town for at least part of the rest of the week.
She also commented on the procedural aspects of the hearing, saying it transpired much as members of the panel expected.
The state’s deadline for the preparation of absentee ballots for the May primary is Monday.
Should the decision be in favor of Parker, he will be pitted against fellow Democrat Reece Saunders in May. If the challenge to Parker’s candidacy is upheld, Saunders would be running unopposed.
Richmond County Board of Elections Director Connie Kelly pointed out the state is well aware of the situation in Richmond, Anson and Stanly counties.
“Early voting doesn’t start until April 15, so those ballots should be ready in time,” Kelly explained Wednesday. “It’s the absentee ballots that are questionable. Should there be a reason to believe they won’t be ready by the deadline, the state will most likely advise us to go ahead and print up ballots accordingly.”
She said those absentee ballots will be available as soon as possible considering the uncertainty of the district attorney candidate field, and requests for absentee ballots in the county have been slow in coming anyway.
“We haven’t had many requests at all here,” Kelly said.
During the proceedings, the three panel members didn’t show much reaction to the testimony being offered, but did ask several clarification questions of witnesses before they stepped down.
The object of the hearing was to determine whether Parker is a resident of Marston, where he owns a home, or in Moore County, where he inherited several properties from his parents.
When Parker joined the District 20 D.A.’s Office in 1989, the district included Richmond, Anson, Stanly, Moore and Union counties.
In 1996, Moore and Union counties were separated from the three counties in District 20A.
Parker contends he moved his home to Richmond County in 2000, four years before being appointed district attorney by North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley in 2004.
More than 80 pieces of evidence were entered for the panel’s consideration at the hearing.
n Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
I have not, nor have any of my family members, been arrested or had a bad experience with the Richmond County Sheriff Furr or any of the deputies in the Richmond County Sheriff's Department. And I am certainly not jealous of Sheriff Furr. He is not someone I aspire to become.
I fully support the Richond County Sheriff's Department as I do all law enforcement agencies. Sheriff Furr does not "run the courts" although sometimes I believe he thinks he does. Sheriff Furr does not unlock your car when you leave your keys in it, a Deputy does. Sheriff Furr does not speak for the Richmond County Sheriff's Department. On election day he speaks only for himself.
Michael Parker is concerned about the overcrowding in our prisons and our jails. He has brought science to the courtroom and has introduced initiatives in our communities to reduce crimes by finding solutions for the reasons that cause them to occur.
I am very interested in your theory that somehow District Attorney Michael Parker derives a political benefit by not sending criminals to State Prisons. Please tell me how that works.
I think Michael Parker prosecutes the cases that are ready for trial after the defense attorneys have exhausted their resevoir of continuances waiting for their clients to pay them.
I think Michael Parker does not prosecute the cases that don't have sufficient evidence to meet the standard of beyond a reasonable doubt.
You say "I have personally encountered Mr. Parker involving a misdemeanor charge and was shocked by his determination to make a big issue out of basically nothing".
It sounds like you were unhappy that he prosecuted a crime that had conclusive evidence. Did it have anything to do with you, your family, or a friend?
You say, "I know first hand that he does not follow-up when our law officers come to him after many hours of research and foot work to gather evidence and witnesses, only to very often see their cases bargained away."
Is it because you, or someone you know, had a weak case that would not have resulted in a conviction wasting valuable court resources?
Have you prosecuted or defended a case? Are you an attorney? Why do you think you are better able to make those decisions than a career prosecutor with 20 years of experience?
It seems to me that District Attorney Michael Parker is doing what we elected him to do. Follow the law he is sworn to follow without being influenced by the winds of politics or favor.
District Attorney Michael Parker has my vote and you've done a pretty good job convincing me he really is "Our District Attorney".
Not yours, mine, Sheriff Furr's, or the defense attorney's. Michael Parker is OUR District Attorney.
Isn't that what our District deserves?
As for saying that Parker does a good job, how do you know? are you there every day? why is the staff in that office mostly unhappy? I have personally encountered Mr. Parker involving a misdemeanor charge and was shocked by his determination to make a big issue out of basically nothing and I know first hand that he does not follow-up when our law officers come to him after many hours of research and foot work to gather evidence and witnesses, only to very often see their cases bargained away.
Parker is more concerned about prison crowding than he is getting these criminals out of our county, this comes from an over active ambition, possibly thinking some day Me, Parker might be Attorney-General, God forbid.
You people have no right to attack our fine Sheriff, he has been on the front lines and protected the citizens of this county and is on duty 24 hours a day and yet when he carrys a case before Parker to prosecute, very often he is turned away, he is not arrogant or snobby or unpleasant to talk to, he will talk to anyone who needs to see him, and while he has all this going on he has to run the courts and the jail and send a deputy out to unlock your cars when you lock the keys inside.
Remember this people, all these critics fit into one or two category, they are either very jealous of sheriff Furr or they or a member of their family was arrested or had a bad experience with our sheriffs department.
I fully support our Sheriff and our Sheriffs Department.
louisblong
Raymond Goodman never did anything to you and all you are going on is rumor and lies. Raymond Goodman was a blessing to this county and would help anyone who deserved to be helped
I believe Michael Parker testified and produced mail, including subscription mail and a card from his sister, during the hearing. All of it was sent to his residence or PO Box in Richmond County. His PO Box was registered to his physical home address in Richmond County years ago.
I believe he also testified that he and his family's home church is in Moore County and they have not attended that church since 1996. I attend church services at a church that is not my home church and have not visited my home church in 15 years.
Wal-Mart and Shoney's?
And before someone asks, his physician is in Hamlet.
To Newswatcher:
I think it is the right of any citizen to support, in an appropriate manner, the candidate of their choosing including Sheriff Furr. Encouraging phone calls on behalf of a candidate sounds appropriate to me.
I don't think it is the right of any citizen to threaten or intimidate someone for the purpose of gaining politcal favor or support including Sheriff Furr.
I don't think it is the right of any elected or appointed government official to use their status or power for personal gain or the personal gain for any candidate for government office from which they derive a benefit from in the future.
If the collusion or conspiracy, involving other elected officials and candidates, that has been suggested by other posters here has at least an equal basis as the investigation of Michael Parker's residency had, I think it's Sheriff Furr's responsibility to ask the State of North Carolina (since Sheriff Furr has been mentioned often) to conduct an independent, unbiased investigation. That would clear the air, exonerate the innocent and reveal any wrong doing.
If you knew the facts, you would know that evidence was introduced during the hearing that Mr. Parkers Personal mail (including magaines) is delivered in Marston and they introduced many reciepts and bills from local buisnesses, so you sir are wrong. And I see him in town all the time both in his truck and on his motorcycle.
Micheal Parker has done nothing wrong. But I understand you sticking up for the Sheriff, you are probably afraid he will assign a deputy to follow you around 24 hours a day if you don't. Furr is not being honest he lied about his conversatoon with Tanya Wallace and as far I am concerned lied about the rest of this too. He only undertook this 'investigation' for politcal purposes and he should be arrested for wasting our money.
I am so tired of the Goodman era politics. This needs to be the last time that a good person is attacked and tried to be kicked out of office by Furr and his team of misfits. I don't need to remind everyone that Dale Furr was calling our houses a year and a half ago trying to get us to vote for a out of town defense attorney for Superior Court Judge which would have hurt either our own Tanya Wallace or Judge Kevin Bridges. What is it with Dale Furr and defense lawyer's? Is Dale more interested in getting criminals off than he is putting them in jail? I detect a pattern here.
Good bye Dale, the time has come.
Fact is, Mr. Parker bought a house in Marston strictly for the purpose of qualifying for his residency requirement,ever try calling him after hours? ever see him in wal-mart or at shoneys?
Where does he go to church? and last , but not least where does he recieve his newspaper and magazine subscriptions?
Answer, Moore County, I bet.
So what if Parker owns a home in Moore Co. The FACT is he OWNS one in Richmond Co. too, and has for a long time, according to the record !
Good Grief !