After reading the Daily Journal’s coverage of the Michael Parker case, I began to wonder how much it must have cost.
I’m not talking about what Ms. Gathings spent on an attorney and private detective, that’s every American’s right. I’m talking about what the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department spent on the investigation.
Transcripts would tend to indicate that there was full time video surveillance of Mr. Parker, his wife, and their children at their family farm in Moore County for a significant portion of the three month investigation.
The cost must have been staggering. In a cash strapped economy where law enforcement professionals are the only hedge against increasingly desperate elements of society, is this the best use of our law enforcement dollars? In a county where the crack cocaine epidemic has reached record proportions, is this the best use of our law enforcement dollars? Was the question of Mr. Parker’s residency so vital as to warrant this kind of bite out of the Sheriff’s Departments budget?
If so, then these were just cops doing their job. If not, then there doesn’t seem to be any explanation other than a mean-spirited political vendetta. These are questions for the county commissioners. Whatever the case, one thing is abundantly clear. The county commissioners can no longer stand mute and neutral on this matter. Not and stay true to the task for which they were elected.
Sean Mahoney
Hamlet
Whether you will vote for Michael Parker or not all of us have the right to vote. A right that no one should be able to interfere with.
The voters in our district should decide who we want as our District Attorney, not someone or group, who for their own reasons want to decide for us.
I suppose there are a few who will continue to believe that Michael Parker's residency is an issue simply because it was challenged. That's a shame because due process took place and an independent panel made a decison based upon the evidence, not political bias or favor.
Right or wrong the challenge was made. The Board of Elections held a hearing with an attorney present from the Attorney General's Office. Their decision unanimously affirmed that Michael Parker is a resident of Richmond County.
What we are left to do now is vote. Please vote for the candidate of your choice. Not mine, Sheriff Furr's, Mr. Robinette's, the defense attorneys, or Judge Brewer's.
My choice is 6 year incumbent District Attorney Michael Parker. His integrity, character and residency has been tested in a very public, transparent manner. He answered every question asked of him, under oath.
Have you heard Mr. Saunders answers?
Michael Parker is now probably the only certified resident of Richmond County. The Board of Elections rendered their decison unanimously.
Why did Sheriff Furr investigate Michael Parker's residency? He has a well known bias against Michael Parker and the SBI is the agency that is mandated to investigate elected officials.
It looks to me like at least part of his investigative file found its way into the complaint before any subpoenas were issued.
Chief Deputy Sweatt testified that he was asked by Ms. Gathings for the file and he told her it was confidential and a subpoena was required.
How can both be true?
Was only part of Sheriff Furr's investigative file introduced at the hearing? I think the surveillance log is 22 pages long and only the first 9 were introduced.
Do the pages left out show Michael Parker home, in Marston, more often than he was 2 days after his father in law passed away, Christmas, and New Years which were the dates covered in the pages introduced.
Why did Sheriff Furr's investigative file not contain a single document available to the public and certain documents available to Sheriff Furr. Such as voter registration, driver's license information, vehicle registration, voter history, County tax information, etc.?
Why was there no interview of Mr. Parker or the neighbors nearby his family farm in Moore County?
Why did Mr. Robinette telephone Michael Parker's neighbors and ask them to deliver their written statements to him before Sheriff Furr's detective interviewed them?
If, Mr. Robinette was aware of the investigation before the hearing, why? That would make it not very confidential.
Why were those statements obtained by Mr. Robinette not introduced into evidence during the hearing?
Were they favorable to Michael Parker?
Was anything else left out? If so, why?
To use the term "investigation" is generous. It doesn't look like an investigation to me.
There is a reason that the phrase "the whole truth and nothing but the truth" is the bedrock of sworn testimony and affidavits, including investigative reports, introduced into evidence.
How can the timing of the complaint be explained? After the candidate filing deadline and Mr. Saunders' filing seems a little coincidential to me.
Michael Parker has lived in Richmond County for 9 years and been our District Attorney for 6 of those 9 years. If Michael Parker's residency challenge had been successful we, the voters, would not have a choice.
The question has been asked, but not answered, about Mr. Saunders' qualification for State retirement benefits if he is elected.
Because he was appointed as a District Court Judge in the 1980's for a couple of years, is he grandfathered into the State retirement program? If so, how long will he have to be employed by the State now to be eligible for some $80,000 per year and health care benefits for the remainder of his life?
Does Mr. Saunders intend to serve more than one term or just enough time to qualify for those benefits then step aside?
If he steps aside is it to help Judge Brewer become District Attorney? A former ADA, with a bruised tenure, who has expressed an interest in becoming our District Attorney.
I understand that the day of Michael Parker's hearing Judge Brewer and Mr. Saunders drove together to Stanly County where Mr. Saunders introduced himself to the people who work there. Is that yet another coincidence?
The more I read on these blogs the more I think that there is more to the story than Sheriff Furr's behavior or Michael Parker's residency.
The lawful political process should allow us, the voters, to choose between the candidates on their merits as we see them. Not a manipulation of the system leaving no choice but Mr. Saunders.
Clearly Michael Parker's residency has been established and verified by the Board of Elections. Whether or not it was a concocted challenge and a biased, incomplete investigation not withstanding.
I've read the comments regarding "giving away the courthouse". In my opinion the candidate most likely to do that is one supported by the defense attorneys. The one least likely to that is one the defense attorneys complain about.
The defense attorney's complaints about Michael Parker, and support of Mr. Saunders, have done a good job assuring me that District Attorney Michael Parker is doing the job we asked him to do.
I do not want a career criminal defense attorney for a District Attorney. For me that would be like "a fox guarding the hen house". And the more experienced the fox, the more I worry.
My vote is to re-elect career prosecutor, and incumbent District Attorney, Michael Parker. He is an experience prosecutor and has publicly demonstrated his integrity, transparency and character.
He does not live here!!!! I was a Parker fan until I learned he has misled everyone. Of course the panel could not find him guilty- every case prosecuted could be appealed- it would be expensive for the county. Parker should withdraw- his fraud will be exposed- the county will go bankrupt having re-trials. Its is clear he does not live in this county. At least Parker won't have to be here to witness the downfall of the county- he will be at home in Vass. HE LIVES IN MOORE COUNTY.
It would be foolish for a person in business to name people with such well connected influential connections. The base salary for sheriff in Richmond County is $74,000, but Dale has many years service and he does make around $100,000 but look around, there are several people that are paid by government that makes quite a bit more than Dale, but he is always on duty, 24---7 and if he gets to see the Yankees, thats good for him. The sheriff oversees about 50 employees and is responsible for the courts and the jail and security at the schools and they do a great job, if they escort a funeral they are the picture of respect and when they investigate and record crime information only to have it bargained away at court they have the right to resent it.
Ray, you must really be a piece of work, to condemn our sheriff and accuse him of phantom dirty deeds is an insult to all of us who have supported him throughout his career.
What kind of work, if any are you in, you must be superior at it, or are you?
Leave our sheriff alone, he is retiring and deserves to leave in peace and get away from bottom feeders like you, Ray, you.
louis
There you go again!
I am starting to think that you are Dale Furr himself. Why do you attack with so much venom those that dare question the mighty dale Furr? Is he not human? There is a possibilty that he made a mistake. Or a stronger possibilty that this was all just dirty politics as usual by a man who has routinely been abusive toward others.
It would appear that the writer was simply asking a legitmate question and you attacked with such venom it appears personal. further i beleive in an earlier post you made the an accusaion that some law enforcement officals where in a conspiracy to let a 5 time drunk driver off from prosecution, but yet when asked to provide information as to person in question or ANY facts you remain silent. Such personal attacks tell us all we need to know.
I beleive that such questions surrounding the activities of the Sheriffs Office are completley legitimate. We pay his huge salary, and by the way $100,000 a year to play golf and fly to NY to see Yankees games on video poker money is not being underpaid, I think everyone has the right to question these folks that are elected and paid by us and if they do not like the questions that is just tough!
I do agree with the other post that the deputies that carried out Furr's orders where just doing thier jobs, but I find it hard to understand why they just happen to be brothers, It seems to me they were put in a very bad situation by Dale Furr or if they were part of the planning that needs to be discovered also.
This sad affair is another reason why I believe that no one from the current administration of the Sheriffs office needs to be the next Sheriff. Whatever your political leanings there are two canidates out there that are not currently affiliated with Dale Furr and I for will make sure I vote for one of them. I am not going to vote for a life long friend of Dale Furrs or anyone he has hired and promoted through his good ole boy system of dirty politics.
I tend to agree with the other comment. What has the sheriff ever done to you, or maybe, it's a question of what didn't he do for you. The sheriff is a fine man who has served our community well over the years. While I too question the cost of the investigation into Mr.Parkers residency, I don't fault those who did the investigation. They work for a living and were doing what they were told to do by their superiors. And while yes, crack cocaine is a big problem in our community, perhaps you should read the article on the front of today's journal. Abuse of prescription medications is the number one drug problem in our community.
What in the world has Dale Furr done you for you to be so critical of him?
Have you perhaps had a bad experience with the law
or is it some form of jealously, I think that Sheriff Furr has done an excellent job of running his department and is grossly under paid and I would like to thank him for his and his departments excellent service to the citizens of Richmond County, and by the way, why don`t you get off his back.
louis b. long, citizen at large