Home > So, what do you think? > Archives > 2009 > May > 01 > Entry
An intriguing courthouse drama
Justice in the Twin Counties took a strange, lumbering step forward last week with the appointment of Robert Evans as new district attorney.
Evans has been a fine District Court judge for the past 10 years and will no doubt serve the Seventh Prosecutorial District equally well in his new position. His replacement has not been named, but insiders for some time have mentioned Rocky Mount City Councilman Lamont Wiggins as a strong candidate for a judgeship. Wiggins, too, would make an excellent juror.
All of which sounds fine and progressive for Eastern North Carolina, but what a pile of political intrigue and twists lie in the background. It’s a story with more turns than a Scott Turow novel, and that’s saying something.
Let’s consider some of the more interesting points.
First, the district attorney’s office itself. We’ve had one of the more invisible chief prosecutors imaginable for the last 20 years or so. In other areas of the state, the district attorney generally takes on at least one high-profile case each election year - if for no other reason than to get his name in the paper and remind the good folks back home who kicks butt in his town.
Not so, Howard Boney. Boney rarely even appeared in the courtroom, let alone lead the charge on a big-name murder trial. He didn’t talk to reporters, hardly bothered with campaign speeches and generally kept to himself. An outsider might wonder how in the world he managed to be elected over and over and over.
Well, it was pretty simple. Hardly anyone ever ran against him.
The most serious challenger I can remember in the 15 years I’ve been here was Charles Robinson, a black Republican.
Robinson cut his teeth as a military prosecutor, and Telegram Content Editor Gene Metrick and I often kidded about the intensity Robinson would have brought to a courtroom. But the words “black” and “Republican” don’t mix in Eastern North Carolina, and Boney defeated him easily.
Considering the lack of opposition Boney has faced during his tenure, it’s interesting to see how many people lined up for the job once he announced in April his plans to retire. Where have all these folks been all these years?
Well, Evans, of course, has been faithfully serving as a District Court judge. The move to district attorney isn’t a big step up, but it certainy gives him a higher profile and a bigger staff. Frank Brown, who preceded Boney as district attorney, left the DA’s office in order to become a Superior Court judge.
Gov. Bev Perdue found herself under a bright spotlight on this decision. The NAACP in the three counties that make up the district held a press conference two weeks ago and urged her to appoint a black district attorney.
Note the language there. The NAACP branches didn’t urge Perdue to consider a black candidate. They wanted an African-American district attorney period. That certainly lit up the Speak Up line. Callers and bloggers alike made the same argument: Why should skin color be the most important qualification?
Rocky Mount City Councilman Reuben Blackwell made an interesting comment last week during a race relations forum. Once the NAACP released its statement, he said, almost everyone under consideration for the job began talking about the need for diversity in the district attorney’s office. Even if the next DA was going to be white, the NAACP’s message had been driven home.
Evans becomes only the second African-American district attorney in the state and the first one ever east of Interstate 95. That’s a big step in racial equality for this area. Unfortunately left behind in the selection is Assistant District Attorney Keith Werner, who was under consideration for the post, as well. Werner has done much of the heavy lifting for the office for the past decade or more. He’s a fierce prosecutor who often takes on difficult cases.
New leaders have their own staffing needs, and the office certainly needs more diversity, but District Attorney Evans would do well to keep Werner in a position of effectiveness.
Comments
By Billy Bain
May 2, 2009 11:51 AM | Link to this
One of the first acts by the new District Attorney should be doing away with the “Worthless Check Program”.
The worthless check program, aptly named, because it is indeed worthless, severely impacts anyone’s ability to collect a bad check.
I would encourage the Telegram to investigate the program and do a story on the percentage of checks recovered and the number of criminals prosecuted vs the number of checks turned over to the program. Interview merchants to see how many people just write off the checks in lieu of wasting time and money with the program.
Return the power of the court to merchants and individuals. The crooks certainly know the system and are taking advantage of the worthless check program to escape prosecution and payment for the checks. It’s one of the biggest farces perpetrated on us by the DA’s office.
By Curmilus Dancy II
May 2, 2009 3:34 PM | Link to this
Jeff it never seems to amaze me how you can write up these stories when it includes certain folks in the community such as Knight and Blackwell. I have been active in the politics of Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson Counties since the 90’s so I am glad I don’t have to rely on this paper. You see my friend you have an upper edge on the black community because you can always say what the white community is saying and feeling and that in itself make it look like the racist white folks are not alive and well. Hell Bobby Gorham bless his soul spent much of his wealthy finances running around the Rocky Mount even got into black churches trying to silence the black city councilpersons by saying he didn’t want their input on the “Coming Together in Rocky Mount.” I have had much respect for you although I very rarely agree with you, but I am about to change the way I think of you. I guess the news in the area will always be slanted since we do not have a real black reporter nor a black newspaper. This is why I video all the meetings and record on my blog what really goes on because the papers print it in a fashion many times that educated political black folks should not have a say in who represents us. How ignant. The Political Agitator
By ken
May 3, 2009 3:28 AM | Link to this
district attorney. if Lamont Wiggins is offered a position, he certainly needs to consider anything will be an ‘upward’ move- he is at the age and stage to seriously consider, and if otherwise qualified should be considered. While the NAACP is calling for diversity in appointments and staffing, I think we should also be calling for appointments that will provide people who will consider the needs, qualifications, and resources of all people, .. point re diversity: appointing people of color should also include an expectation that they will be sensitive to the skills and needs of people from other ethnic and skin color groups. diversity training? well, maybe not needed, but certainly if anyone has had little professional and personal interaction with people of other colors he/she will need to work harder to understand others.
Wiggins? I think Wiggins has proven himself as someone who has and does in fact understand others, how to deal with them, and reaching out to other groups.
Keith Werner? yes, let’s hope he can stay and continue to serve. The unfortunate part for Werner and others in the traditional workplace is that those who are technically proficient and serve less than the highest position are not usually later considered for the highest management positions in the same workplace. Why? 1. it’s hard to manage the people with whom you have directly been a coworker; 2. politically— the DA’s office is a political position—-appointing officials often look to return political favors to those individuals or groups who have helped their election efforts and who will meet least resistance in any future elections. election time for the DA’s position is not too far away so all can be considered by the public.
Evans? reading his resume leads to the conclusion he is qualified both technically and politically—it’s a shame any talk of skin color might have taken away from his honest appointment… but, it was a legitimate topic of converstion.
reminds me of a song from back in the 1960’s or early 70’s: “Here comes the Judge, Here comes the Judge”.
By George
May 4, 2009 1:10 PM | Link to this
It’s interesting that Jeff Herrin now says that former DA Boney was mostly invisible for the last 20 years. After all, Jeff has only been in Rocky Mount for the last 15 years. But, I’ve never seen an article or a blog post pointing out Boney invisibility to the diligent readers of the Rocky Mount Telegram. Now, let’s take this issue on step further. Supreme Court Justice David Souter is retiring from the Court. It’s only been a few days, but many women’s organizations have announced they want a woman nominated to the Court because they say Justice O’Conner was replaced by a male. Also, Latino groups have called for a Latino to be appointed.
But, when the NAACP calls for a qualified Black to be considered for the DA appointment, Jeff calls that into question. I don’t get it!
By john
June 7, 2009 3:11 PM | Link to this
I find our new DA’s latest speech very questionable. The “blacks” made up of Hatian-Americans, Jamacian-Americans, Afro-Americans and a few other imigrant backgrounds, are not the minority in Eastern NC much less the Tri-County area. If anyone doesn’t believe me go look at the last census. As far as the “system” mistreating them well that is horse manure. The bottom line in this is that the proportion of black to white is higher the proportion of black to hispanic is slightly higher. If anything the ration of so-called minorities is breeding at an exponential rate compared to the so_called Majority. In simple terms there are more Black and Latino babies each day to white babies. Now who is on the brink of being wiped out. Teens of all color have the same opportunities in school it is up to them to avail themselves of those opportunities. If they choose not to the system didn’t fail them they failed themselves. If a person of any color appears before the bench it is their own doing they are supposed to know what is right and wrong. For those of you out there that are unsure let me give a few examples… Drugs, Violence, Rape, Drinking and Driving, graffiti, theft of personal, private, or company property or belongings, counterfieting, and I am sure I could go on. Those are things everyone should know are WRONG but the games they play on the tv and computer, the movies they watch, the music they listen to, all say it is cool to do this Your choice teach them to excel and live right or let them run free and wild and live life as a gangsta
By elizabeth
June 9, 2009 9:44 AM | Link to this
This is a citizen of the S. Rocky mt community, a 1962 grad of BTW HS. I see a whole lot of discrepancies going on in Rocky mt. NC and this is another point I wish to address is when we were born at 1221 S. Franklin St our daddy built us a home then attached he built a church. When they became condemned the church was rebuilt but not our home. I was about 8 yrs old so I did leave after one yr of Nursing studies. But returned in 1980’s to be exposed to and raped by a pastor. I had no money to sue but later have decided to look into who the property belongs to, it is my dad’s, Overseer HC White. I was put out of his church by Portland, Or who my mom allowed to use the facilities. Do they now won it? In Nashville the deeds still say HC White and his heirs. I’m the 7 of 13 born 8-29-44. Can someone help me. I want our legacy of love reinstated. I can be reached 910 904-0955. Due to sickness I relocated down here to be near my only child. This is my heritage and I am a pastor and will return asap to do so there. Thnx for listening.