Former Bertie School Officials Under Investigation

by Thadd White - November 18th, 2008 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

The Bertie County Board of Education has forwarded a report to a multitude of public officials for possible criminal prosecution against two former high-ranking school officials.

Following a lengthy investigation by attorney Richard A. Schwartz of Schwartz and Shaw, the board requested the report be forwarded to all appropriate agencies to “take whatever appropriate action is within your authority and within the purview of your agency in light of these findings.”

More than three years ago a contentious Bertie County Commissioner's meeting was held during which it was pointed out that John Smith had spent Bertie tax payer money to reward his friends and family. This was an issue identified in the audit of the school system that was performed for the board. A Smith defender got up and said, angrily, "Mr. Smith has agreed to give that money back, why isn't that good enough?"

When queried about this defense, the County Attorney observed, "If a bank robber is caught, is he not guilty if he offers to give the money back?"

This case is that obvious. Crimes were committed. Years have passed. Yet the justice this case demands has not happened.

Another Smith defender at that same meeting was outraged that the Board of Commissioners would even think it had the right to investigate whether the Board of Education and their Superintendent was committing crimes. Performing the audit itself was attacked as outrageous to that Smith supporter.

The crimes in this article were reported to Les Merritt, outgoing auditor for North Carolina, and the result is that the Democrat Party made this one more issue in their targeting of Merritt to stop any accountability for Democrat Officials who commit crimes. He was successfully defeated ... which ends any credible chance that the State of North Carolina will pursue the crimes committed. Where is our District Attorney. Does she not care?

North Carolina has become the joke that Louisiana used to be. It is now just assumed that Democrat office holders are allowed to commit crimes and other Democrats will look the other way. Eastern North Carolina is dominated by corruption committed by and protected by a corrupt political party due to its overwhelming one party rule. The $29 million that diasappeared in Chowan County is another example of this local corruption. Will no one do anything about it? It is encouraging that the News-Herald has finally taken some small steps to expose the corruption, even if years late.