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Saunders
North Carolina Prosecutorial District 20A Forensics Investigator Laura Pettler has tendered her resignation effective the day District Attorney Michael Parker leaves office at the end of this calendar year.
The move came a week after Parker was unseated in the Democratic primary by Reece Saunders, who is running unopposed on the November ballot.
Parker said Pettler didn’t believe her services would be retained by Saunders, and that other programs at the District Attorney’s Office could be done away with when he takes office in January.
However, Saunders said rumors that he will clean house the day he takes office as district attorney are unfounded, and he even took a trip to Stanly County to dispel them.
“I had intended on keeping everybody and giving everybody a chance to prove themselves, and I made that known,” Saunders said Friday. “These are just rumors, and they’re simply untrue.”
Pettler is a founding member of the Forensics Association of the Carolinas which conducts an academy at Richmond Community College to offer professional development for law enforcement officers in such investigative techniques as crime scene photography, lifting latent fingerprints, examining blood spatter evidence and conducting searches for dead bodies.
Parker said she had never been invited to work a crime scene by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, nor did any of its officers participate in the forensics academy.
Pettler was in Costa Rica teaching an international course on forensics investigation when she tendered her resignation this week.
Richmond County Sheriff Dale Furr confirmed his department has never utilized Pettler in an investigation.
“It’s the job of the State Bureau of Investigation to conduct those type of investigations,” Furr said Friday. “As far as I’m concerned, we don’t need her, and we have our own people to handle our crime scenes. As a matter of fact, I’ve never heard of her testifying in any court cases here and have never seen her testify, so I don’t know what her capabilities are.”
Furr said he takes issue with her travel itinerary, though, because she is a state employee.
“She’s drawing a salary of something like $45,000 or $50,000 a year to go teach classes in foreign countries, and the taxpayers are having to fund those trips and pay her salary,” Furr said.
Saunders said he plans on keeping programs Parker instituted to the degree the state budget will allow him, but he also doesn’t see the need to have an in-house forensics investigator now that Pettler has tendered her resignation.
“If we have a case that warrants that type of investigation, it’s my understanding that the (State Bureau of Investigation) will provide that for us,” Saunders said. “... If I need a forensic expert - I’ll be on the phone to the SBI or the Attorney General’s Office in Raleigh saying, ‘I need help down here.’”
Parker touted the work Pettler did with the forensics association, saying modern investigative techniques are changing the landscape of law enforcement and prosecution.
He pointed to the ground-breaking North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission as evidence that the innocent have been incarcerated in the state due to “20th Century investigative techniques.”
Blood evidence was withheld in the case by law enforcement and prosecutors who believed the circumstantial evidence that Greg Taylor was guilty was too overwhelming for him not to be the right man.
Richmond County Chief District Court Judge Tanya Wallace was one of three judges who disagreed with their assessment, and set Taylor free after he was incarcerated for 17 years for a crime he didn’t commit.
“That’s part of the reason I started this academy, so that we could train officers in modern investigative techniques and get the right one before we sent them to prison for 10 years,” Parker said. “Of course, (the RCSO) didn’t care for that because they don’t make mistakes.”
He said there is a fine line investigators walk between wanting to arrest a suspect, and knowing beyond a reasonable doubt the suspect is the guilty party.
“My view is that the evidence is the evidence, and I don’t create it or take it away from the scene,” Parker said. “That’s where our law enforcement is lagging behind, with the whole 20th Century, or 19th Century, world view that no matter what the evidence says they are infallible and incapable of making mistakes. That’s got to change in the next 10 years or people will begin to lose confidence in the justice system.”
He said investigative techniques like trace evidence and crime scene reconstruction “are the wave of the future, but they just don’t want to be on the wave.”
He also said other programs he developed, such as his domestic violence outreach program, are perceived by his employees to be in limbo until Saunders takes office.
“His campaign was that he is going to focus on the courtroom and do away with all these outreach programs and programs to improve law enforcement I worked so hard to bring here,” Parker said. “My prediction is that most all of the programs will go, and we’ll return to the way things were done 10 or 20 years ago.”
Saunders said that while his focus as district attorney will be in the courtroom, he hasn’t compiled any plans to get rid of programs in the district attorney’s office.
“As far as what programs will be done away with, I have no plans,” Saunders said.
Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
Give him a chance, he just might surprise you, although I`m sure he`ll be quite busy at first dismantling some of the non-sense that Parker started.
Why don`t you talk to some of Parkers former employees and get their opinion of him, you might be surprised.
It seems to me that you have too much judicial knowledge to be a novice,and too little to be an expert, court appointed attorney?
Why do you think that the Clerk of court endorsed Saunders?, after all, she had to have worked closely with Parkers office, what did she see and experience that you did not/
CC, do you think that you might be relocating your practice anytime soon, good luck.
louis
Since you have not heard me speak I think it's ignorant to say that I consider myself a great orator.
Michael Parker is not "my man" or anyone elses that I am aware of. He is a man I considered to be the best candidate.
I don't think I degraded Saunders. I think I asked several questions that he has not answered. Those answers are important to me and his lack of response is disconcerting.
I have no personal problem with Saunders, I just don't think he has the experience to be our DA. The other issues I raised were not answered so I can't speak to those except to say that I will not vote for any candidate for any office who refuses to address concerns or answer pertinent questions.
The only support group I've thought about starting, or joining, is one focused on people like me who continue to communicate with those who insist on unfounded personal attacks, insults, and other attempts to divert attention from the acutal issue(s).
Which, by the way, is now how Saunders will perform in a job he's never done.
Michael Parker lost the election and will not be responsible for the DA's office in the very near future. Saunders will be and I, for one, intend to watch closely how well he handles that responsibility.
And whether he stays in office or resigns if he becomes eligible for State retirement. And, if he retires, whether Judge Scott Brewer steps up and wants to be appointed as the interim DA.
I would characterize myself more as a concerned citizen and resident of this judicial district than a "sore loser". I did not win or lose anything individually. We, as a judicial district, did. And the jury's still out on whether we won or lost. Saunders has yet to work his first day at his new job.
To see things in that light does require a minimum amount of introspection and objectivity. Which is probably difficult for someone who opposed Michael Parker because their relative was criminally charged by his office. And bitterly complained about the cost while stating it was "a no harm misdemeanor".
Maybe you and Parker should form a support group for Losers who object to popular opinion LLC.
you know what Confucious said about arguing with a fool.............
louis
I am not now, and never have been, part of Michael Parker's staff in any capacity. Nor has he ever been "my boss".
Who the DA is does not matter one iota to me financially or professionally. It matters to me as a citizen of our judicial district.
You missed the point to louisblong. He has an agenda that arose from a relative of his who was charged with 2 misdemeanors and bitterly complained about the amount of money his family spent to defend their relative. Who, I think, was guilty. His opinion appears to be that if it's his relative, the system should overlook the crime(s).
I think that some people, maybe a lot of people, attempt to blame the messenger if their relative was in legal trouble. To minimize what their relative did to get themselves in trouble in the first place.
One of many things I like about Michael Parker is that he uses the law, not polical favor or any other bias, to make decisions. It remains to be seen whether Saunders will do the same.
If he does, it won't be long before the louisblongs in our district start "whinning" about him.
You don't need to go to law school to know that "a no harm misdemeanor" is an oxymoron.
And actually I could shine Reece Saunders' shoes, or anyone elses for that matter. As a kid I had a shoe shine route on Sunday mornings before church and learned how to shine shoes very well. I had many satisfied customers and to this day retain those skills.
I'm not familiar with Michael Parker's shoe shinning abilities and can't speak to whether or not he could shine Reece Saunders' shoes. But it's a safe bet neither one of us will.
I don't blame anyone for Michael Parker's shortcomings. I just simply do not believe Saunders was a better choice.
What I wonder the most about is how you can think Saunders will be a great DA when he has no experience as a prosecutor. And his management experience has been limited to managing the payroll for he and his wife.
Soon the switch will be flipped and Saunders will have to prosecute and manage a budget that's about a million dollars and more than 20 people, including a dozen or so ADA's. I worry about that a lot.
I don't think I often impress anyone and I'm not sure if I should be pleased or worried that I impressed you. Particularly since Reece Saunders seems to have really impressed you.
Of all the folks who have posted comments about the DA race you really stand out.
I know from an earlier post of yours that your issue with Michael Parker was the result of a relative your yours that was charged with 2 misdemeanors and the amount of money your family spent to keep him out of jail.
There is no such thing as a "no harm misdemeanor". No harm means no crime.
Anything that you have to say should be prefaced with that information.
If ever anyone needed to be removed from office, it was Parker, it is vitally important that A DA`S office and A sheriffs department have a good communication exchange and Sheriff Furr had no problems worth mentioning with Parkers predecessor.
We have an excellent Sheriffs department and a great group of officers, who respond quickly and very often carry good cases forward only to see the DA dismiss or plea bargain their work away.
Quit belly-aching and trying to blemish our Sheriff and his fine officers.
It is what it is, so suck-up and go forward.
How much does Parker want for his house? I know some folks that might get together and buy it, so he can get out of Richmond County.
louis b lng
Just as I said in my earlier post, Saunders will have his chance. He won the election by carrying Richmond County. Not all three Counties.
To the best of my knowledge Saunders has not prosecuted a single case - ever. Or prepped a case for prosecution - ever. In my opinion that equals inexperience as a DA.
I think he has a lot of experience as a criminal defense attorney. And that worries me.
If Saunders believes he will get timely forensic support from the SBI, he must not watch the news outside of Richmond County. That comment seems naive and inexperienced to me.
You are somewhat correct in that I don't like some of what Sheriff Furr, Mr. Robinette, and Judge Scott Brewer have done. It's not a matter of personal like or dislike.
And no, I would not support just anyone they do not support. In the off chance they supported someone I believed had the better qualifications, integrity and character; I would support that candidate as well.
As I've said repeatedly, Saunders will have his chance. And many voters will be watching carefully what he does with that chance.
I hope he succeeds. I hope none of my concerns turn out to be valid. My overwhelming hope is that our district prosecutes and convicts criminals quickly and keeps them out of our communities.
I also hope you are not so fond of Sheriff Furr. Mr. Robinette, and Judge Scott Brewer that you turn a blind eye if you see the DA's office under performing. Or pleading cases too far down. Or putting too many criminals back into our communities.
Can we agree on that?
Have you been to law school? Have you ever prosecuted a case? It doesn't sound like you understand how the system actually works.
Because it was a primary and no Republican candidate filed, only Democrats and unaffiliated voters could cast a vote.
Reece Saunders campaigned on getting our jails empty; the same goal he had as a criminal defense attorney. And he had the financial support of many defense attorneys with the same goal.
Apparently the overwhelming majority of Democratic voters in Stanly County and about half of the Democratic voters in Anson County disagee with you. About 2/3rds of the Richmond County Democrats apparently agree with you.
Richmond County turned out more Democratic voters and Reece Saunders won the election. I would not be surprised if he resigns or does not run again and Scott Brewer steps up to try to take his place.
I would also not be surprised to see a strong Republican candidate in the next election and Stanly County become the swing county in the DA race. If that is the case, the Sheriff Furr/Scott Brewer/Ken Robinette Party will fall by the wayside.
If you believe Michael Parker "put the same crack heads and thieves back on the street" you really don't get it. Reece Saunders pushed emptying our jails as his main campaign theme. How is it then that Michael Parker "put the crack heads and thieves back on the street" and kept them in jail at the same time? It was your candidate and his associates who worked to put them back on the street using any loophole or ambiguity in the statutes to do it. It will now be much easier for them to accomplish their collective goal.
I believe he will do just what he said he would do and it's scary.
Reece Saunders' inexperience is pretty clear when he says he will just pick up the phone and call in the SBI or the Attorney General's Office and tell them "we need help down here". My understanding is that the SBI lab is currently backed up for 20 months and I am not aware of any forensic services offered by the AG's Office other than through the SBI.
I think that means many cases will wait, perhaps with someone in jail, or in our coummunities, until the SBI has time to process the evidence.
Or not, and the number of unsolved crimes will increase.
Or, Reece Saunders will proceed to trial with a weak case or an innocent defendant.
Or, plead a guilty defendant to a lesser crime that puts him or her right back into our communities.
Nothing about that appeals to me.
I am not surprised that Sheriff Furr has never used the forensic services available through the DA's office. I believe him when he says "it's the job of the SBI to conduct those types of investigations" and no one from his department participated in the classes offered free at RCC.
It's easy to think Sheriff Furr does not believe in continuing education for his officers or himself. Or has any desire to improve the quality of the investigations done by his department. His investigtion into Michael Parker's residency is a shinning example of just that.
Why has he been, and still is, being paid about $100,000 a year to adamantly stay behind the times? I think he is doing us a huge favor by retiring. Hopefully the next Sheriff will avail himself of the technology to arrest the guilty and put a convincing case together. And not arrest the wrong people for murder.
Michael Parker not only used Laura Pettler but also utilized private technical resources in our district, at no cost to the taxpayers, to respond to an immeditae situation and/or to build an ironclad case for trial. He built a very comprehensive, competent, technical support system for this district that rivals what the SBI offers. Without a 20 month wait or an invoice.
Reece Saunders and Sheriff Furr may believe Laura Pettler will not be missed, but I do. I think she has brought a lot to our district and her cost has been miniscule compared to her contributions.
Whatever you may think of Pettler and Parker's relationship, the real issue is another matter.
This is nothing more than Richmond County's good
'ole boy politics at work. Out going Sheriff Dale Furr had an axe to grand with Parker and it is obvious in the comments he made. It's the same old story for Richmond County. Same song, but just differnt singers. You have to be in the clique, if you're not, you're out. I don't understand how the voters keep putting the same type of candidates in. It's as if the voting is rigged. You need forward thinkers and stop living in the past with this is the way we do and it will keep on working for us. With this way of thinking you will keep getting just what you have. No new growth, those that are elected are looking our for their best interest and not what is really best for the county.