Thousands unite, despite differences to say good-bye to Shaniya Davis
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d23-Thousands-unite-despite-differences-to-say-goodbye-to-Shaniya-Davis#
The funeral for Shaniya Nicole Davis took place yesterday afternoon at the Manna Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. More than a thousand mourners united together to say good-bye and show their respects to Shaniya and while it was a heartbreaking occasion, it was also a touching celebration of life, love, and forgiveness.
Bradley Lockhart, Shaniya’s father, has shown a strength, grace, faith and forgiveness that one rarely sees at a time of such horrendous and profound loss. Mr. Lockhart had not planned to speak at Shaniya’s service yesterday, but he did and his words were incredible to hear.
For more on this story please visit the link above.
DISCLAIMER
Innocence Destroyed
Girl Arrested for Swearing on 9-11 call
Video Bar
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ZOEY PAiGE SANDERCOX
DONATIONS NEEDED
MISSION STATE FOR HOPE4KIDZ, Inc.
Other Sites To Visit
- PROTECTED TO DEATH
- Parent-rights
- NCCPR Childrens Welfare Blog
- Families Unite 4 Childrens Rights
- CPS Corruption
- America Given Away and Taken Back
- Five Steps To Calm...(just seems like a good book)
- AFRA Until Every Child Comes Home
- Shredded Society
- Profane Justice
- False Allegations
- The John Birch Society
- MassOutrage
- Evil CPS Child Abusers Accountability
- parentalrights.org
- JUSTICE FOR THE INNOCENT
- Fight CPS
- Legally Kidnapped
News story on the case of Angelo Mendoza Jr.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
FUNERAL FOR SHANIYA DAVIS TODY
Funeral for Shaniya Davis today
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Funeral-for-Shaniya-Davis-today
Funeral services for 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis will be held at 3:00pm today at the Manna Church in Fayetteville. The Reverend Johnny C. Davis will be officiating.
The public is invited to attend those who can’t attend may watch the funeral live on WRAL.com.
Shaniya’s Obituary describes a beautiful, sweet and loving child, who loved to play dress up and ride her scooter.
To read more of this article please visit the link above
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Funeral-for-Shaniya-Davis-today
Funeral services for 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis will be held at 3:00pm today at the Manna Church in Fayetteville. The Reverend Johnny C. Davis will be officiating.
The public is invited to attend those who can’t attend may watch the funeral live on WRAL.com.
Shaniya’s Obituary describes a beautiful, sweet and loving child, who loved to play dress up and ride her scooter.
To read more of this article please visit the link above
FORMER SURRY COUNTY DSS SUPERVISOR FACES 31 FELONY COUNTS
Former Surry County DSS supervisor faces 31 Felony counts
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Former-Surry-County-DSS-supervisor-faces-31-Felony-counts#
Donna Marie Key, 51, from Mt. Airy, is scheduled to appear in court November 24, on 31 Felony counts of Obtaining Property by False Pretenses.
Mrs. Key, allegedly, used her position as a Surry County Social Worker Supervisor, to steal an unknown amount of money. She was arrested June 16, 2009 and then release on a $25,000 bond.
To read more please visit the above link
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Former-Surry-County-DSS-supervisor-faces-31-Felony-counts#
Donna Marie Key, 51, from Mt. Airy, is scheduled to appear in court November 24, on 31 Felony counts of Obtaining Property by False Pretenses.
Mrs. Key, allegedly, used her position as a Surry County Social Worker Supervisor, to steal an unknown amount of money. She was arrested June 16, 2009 and then release on a $25,000 bond.
To read more please visit the above link
HOW THE SYSTEM FAILED 15-YEAR-OLD GUNNED DOWN AT BUS STOP
How system failed 15-year-old gunned down at bus stop
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/crime/story/75983.html
By Christopher D. Kirkpatrick | Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiffany Wright stood alone in the dark, waiting for her school bus.
It was just before 6 a.m., and her foster grandmother had walked back home to get Tiffany's water bottle.
Tiffany, 15, was eight months pregnant but determined to stay on track in school. She wanted to be a lawyer. And after just a few weeks at Hawthorne High, she had impressed teachers as smart and ambitious, despite a difficult childhood.
At 5:51, Tiffany sent a text.
"Wheres the bus?"
One stop away, replied her friend, already on the bus.
At 5:55, as the bus lumbered toward Tiffany's stop, people began calling police to report gunshots.
A school bus dispatcher radioed Tiffany's bus driver: Change course - something's happening ahead.
Tiffany lay dead in the road, shot in the head, that morning, Monday, Sept. 14. Her baby girl was delivered at the hospital and lived a week, but died Sunday.
Nobody's charged in the killings, but police call Tiffany's adoptive brother, Royce Mitchell, a "person of interest."
In the months before she died, local agencies took steps aimed at stabilizing her home life and keeping her safe. But her story exposes failures in the system that was supposed to protect her.
Among the missteps:
•In February, a Mecklenburg court clerk appointed Mitchell as Tiffany's temporary guardian — even though he was a felon who served time in federal prison. He was also tried in 2006 for murder, but found not guilty. And last year, he was accused of domestic violence, though the case was dismissed.
•In July, social workers told police that Mitchell, 36, might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany, but police didn't question him about it for seven weeks, and didn't charge him with the rape until after Tiffany was killed.
•This month, Mecklenburg social services failed to cut off communication between Tiffany, who was in foster care, and Mitchell, said a source close to the investigation.
On the day of Tiffany's killing, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police jailed Mitchell for statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child, naming Tiffany as the victim.
Police defend their work, saying they followed the industry's best practices - which takes time. Police didn't feel a need to rush, they say, because they believed Tiffany was secure, hidden in a foster home with no threat to her safety.
Police say it's hard to prove statutory rape: Of the 262 reports of statutory rape police received over three years, only 16 percent - 42 cases - were accepted by prosecutors.
Experts say statutory rape cases are complicated because they involve victims ages 13, 14 or 15 who often consider themselves voluntary participants in sex with someone at least six years older. So victims can be reluctant to help police. (it isn't statutory rape, it was incest!!! He was her adoptive brother...hello read the laws of this state!)
But child advocates say in cases like Tiffany's, police should act more aggressively. An immediate arrest sends a signal to a suspect and can persuade them to stay away from victims.
"The cases may be difficult to win, but they're not difficult to charge," says Brett Loftis of Charlotte's Council for Children's Rights.
UNCC criminologist Paul Friday says: "Often, nothing is done in these kinds of cases because they're based on improper assumptions about the rationality of someone that age. But the minors are often unaware of disease, birth control and they can be exploited by someone."
Adopted by foster mother
Tiffany first entered the child welfare system as a toddler in Buffalo, N.Y., when her mother lost custody.
She was adopted at 4 by her foster mother, Alma Wright, an older woman with eight grown children, who was excited about raising another child.
One of Wright's grown sons was Royce Mitchell, a star quarterback in high school who'd gone on to play for a semi-pro team in Buffalo. But Mitchell also was indicted in 1999 as part of a drug trafficking ring and went to federal prison.
While he was in prison, authorities also charged Mitchell with an earlier murder, but a jury found him not guilty.
In 2004, Alma and Tiffany left Buffalo for North Carolina, settling near Kings Mountain. Tiffany made friends easily at school and church. She ran track at Bessemer City High School.
In 2007, Mitchell was released from prison and followed his mother to North Carolina.
But last fall, Alma Wright got sick. Friends at church helped out with Tiffany, inviting her for dinners and weekends. Tiffany spent time with Mitchell and his wife, too.
Alma Wright died Jan. 25, and Tiffany moved in with the Mitchells in Charlotte.
On Jan. 30, Royce Mitchell asked a Mecklenburg court to appoint him and his wife as Tiffany's guardians.
On his application, he wrote: "We are seeking guardianship because we were requested to do so by Mrs. Alma Wright before she died."
He wanted to transfer Tiffany to West Mecklenburg High School.
The court set a hearing for Feb. 5 and appointed a child advocate to study the situation and look after Tiffany's best interests in court.
There's no transcript of what happened in court, and the clerk who handled Tiffany's case declined to discuss his decision.
Frederick Benson, a Mecklenburg assistant clerk of superior court, appointed Mitchell the temporary guardian of Tiffany's welfare.
It's unclear if Benson, a lawyer, knew about Mitchell's criminal background. Court clerks are not required to perform background checks in guardianship cases, says Clerk of Superior Court Martha Curran. It's up to each clerk to decide what checks are necessary, and they often rely on court-appointed child advocates to advise them in such cases.
Tiffany's advocate, lawyer Martha Efird, declined to discuss her actions in the case.
It was in the weeks surrounding the Feb. 5 court hearing that Tiffany got pregnant, if hospital estimates are accurate.
But friends say Tiffany, who started at West Mecklenburg High in February, wouldn't realize for four or five months that she was pregnant.
On Feb. 27, clerk of court Benson ordered DSS to conduct a "home study" of the Mitchell household. Officials won't release their findings.
But Mitchell didn't keep custody long, according to several of Tiffany's friends in King's Mountain.
In late March, Mitchell left Tiffany at a group home called With Friends in Gastonia, according to Marlene Jefferies and Cruceta Jeffeirs, two adult family friends who watched Tiffany grow up.
The group home wouldn't confirm that. But the friends say the home reported to social services that Tiffany was abandoned. And she was soon back in foster care.
On March 31, Jeffeirs, a Shelby pastor, wrote a letter to Benson seeking custody of Tiffany: "My desire is to see Tiffany accomplish all the goals that she has set for herself and I believe she can do that in a stable environment with lots of guidance and love."
DSS officials in Gaston and Mecklenburg won't discuss Tiffany's case or answer questions about what steps they took to protect her.
But friends and family say Tiffany was eventually placed in the care of foster parent Susan Barber, in a townhome off Mallard Creek Road in Derita.
By July, it was clear Tiffany was pregnant, friends say.
Barber tried to shield Tiffany from talking to those she believed might be bad influences, according to Tiffany's cousin Brittany Page. But a source close to the investigation said Tiffany and Mitchell continued communicating.
Despite repeated attempts, Barber could not be reached.
As the school year approached, Tiffany prepared to change schools again, this time to Hawthorne High in Charlotte, which offers a special program for pregnant students.
Delayed investigation
On July 27, social workers reported to police that Royce Mitchell might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany.
It took eight days for a detective to look at the case, and three days more for it to be officially assigned to Teresa Johnson, a detective with CMPD's youth crime and domestic violence unit.
Another 12 days passed before Johnson interviewed Tiffany.
It's unclear when detective Johnson discovered Mitchell's background, but it wasn't enough to ramp up the investigation. Investigators say they believed Tiffany was safe in a foster home and faced no threats from Mitchell.
Police say their performance in the case followed procedure and met standards.
Police interview alleged victims immediately if the crime has occurred within the previous 72 hours, so they can gather evidence that may remain. But in cases like Tiffany's - where months had elapsed since the alleged offense - police try to arrange just one interview when children and teen victims of abuse are involved.
Police acknowledge that strategy takes time but minimizes trauma and reduces the chances that young victims might be led into inaccurate testimony by repeated questioning.
Police also let such victims decide when they want to be interviewed at the county's child-victim center called Pat's Place. There, specially trained interviewers talk to victims, while social workers, psychologists, police and others watch from another room.
Tiffany chose an Aug. 19 interview. She didn't say much during the formal interview. But later that day, Johnson won her trust and obtained enough information to move forward with the investigation.
No response from Mitchell
The next day, Aug. 20, the detective made her first call to Mitchell to ask him about the charge, she says. Johnson left a message and gave him a few days to call back.
When Mitchell didn't respond, she made calls over the next two weeks to social workers and a federal probation officer to ask Mitchell to come talk to police.
Police say they didn't immediately arrest him because they believed they could get better information if he talked voluntarily.
On Sept. 9, a federal probation official told Johnson that Mitchell was not coming in.
On Sept. 10, a team of social workers, police and other agencies held a standard follow-up meeting to discuss how to proceed in Tiffany's case.
On Friday, Sept. 11, detective Johnson phoned Mitchell's wife and left a message. She asked her to call back to discuss Tiffany, Johnson says, but didn't give details of the rape allegation.
That Monday, Tiffany was shot and killed.
As emergency vehicles rolled to the scene, Tiffany's school bus was diverted from its normal route. But the students could see flashing lights. Tiffany's friends on the bus, Cimone Black and Tamia Corpening, began to worry.
"I kept texting her phone...," Cimone said. Then she started calling, but all she got was voice mail.
The bus continued on to Hawthorne. For Tamia, the hourlong ride was excruciating.
Nobody said a word.
Staff writers Liz Chandler and Ely Portillo and researcher Maria David contributed.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/crime/story/75983.html
By Christopher D. Kirkpatrick | Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiffany Wright stood alone in the dark, waiting for her school bus.
It was just before 6 a.m., and her foster grandmother had walked back home to get Tiffany's water bottle.
Tiffany, 15, was eight months pregnant but determined to stay on track in school. She wanted to be a lawyer. And after just a few weeks at Hawthorne High, she had impressed teachers as smart and ambitious, despite a difficult childhood.
At 5:51, Tiffany sent a text.
"Wheres the bus?"
One stop away, replied her friend, already on the bus.
At 5:55, as the bus lumbered toward Tiffany's stop, people began calling police to report gunshots.
A school bus dispatcher radioed Tiffany's bus driver: Change course - something's happening ahead.
Tiffany lay dead in the road, shot in the head, that morning, Monday, Sept. 14. Her baby girl was delivered at the hospital and lived a week, but died Sunday.
Nobody's charged in the killings, but police call Tiffany's adoptive brother, Royce Mitchell, a "person of interest."
In the months before she died, local agencies took steps aimed at stabilizing her home life and keeping her safe. But her story exposes failures in the system that was supposed to protect her.
Among the missteps:
•In February, a Mecklenburg court clerk appointed Mitchell as Tiffany's temporary guardian — even though he was a felon who served time in federal prison. He was also tried in 2006 for murder, but found not guilty. And last year, he was accused of domestic violence, though the case was dismissed.
•In July, social workers told police that Mitchell, 36, might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany, but police didn't question him about it for seven weeks, and didn't charge him with the rape until after Tiffany was killed.
•This month, Mecklenburg social services failed to cut off communication between Tiffany, who was in foster care, and Mitchell, said a source close to the investigation.
On the day of Tiffany's killing, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police jailed Mitchell for statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child, naming Tiffany as the victim.
Police defend their work, saying they followed the industry's best practices - which takes time. Police didn't feel a need to rush, they say, because they believed Tiffany was secure, hidden in a foster home with no threat to her safety.
Police say it's hard to prove statutory rape: Of the 262 reports of statutory rape police received over three years, only 16 percent - 42 cases - were accepted by prosecutors.
Experts say statutory rape cases are complicated because they involve victims ages 13, 14 or 15 who often consider themselves voluntary participants in sex with someone at least six years older. So victims can be reluctant to help police. (it isn't statutory rape, it was incest!!! He was her adoptive brother...hello read the laws of this state!)
But child advocates say in cases like Tiffany's, police should act more aggressively. An immediate arrest sends a signal to a suspect and can persuade them to stay away from victims.
"The cases may be difficult to win, but they're not difficult to charge," says Brett Loftis of Charlotte's Council for Children's Rights.
UNCC criminologist Paul Friday says: "Often, nothing is done in these kinds of cases because they're based on improper assumptions about the rationality of someone that age. But the minors are often unaware of disease, birth control and they can be exploited by someone."
Adopted by foster mother
Tiffany first entered the child welfare system as a toddler in Buffalo, N.Y., when her mother lost custody.
She was adopted at 4 by her foster mother, Alma Wright, an older woman with eight grown children, who was excited about raising another child.
One of Wright's grown sons was Royce Mitchell, a star quarterback in high school who'd gone on to play for a semi-pro team in Buffalo. But Mitchell also was indicted in 1999 as part of a drug trafficking ring and went to federal prison.
While he was in prison, authorities also charged Mitchell with an earlier murder, but a jury found him not guilty.
In 2004, Alma and Tiffany left Buffalo for North Carolina, settling near Kings Mountain. Tiffany made friends easily at school and church. She ran track at Bessemer City High School.
In 2007, Mitchell was released from prison and followed his mother to North Carolina.
But last fall, Alma Wright got sick. Friends at church helped out with Tiffany, inviting her for dinners and weekends. Tiffany spent time with Mitchell and his wife, too.
Alma Wright died Jan. 25, and Tiffany moved in with the Mitchells in Charlotte.
On Jan. 30, Royce Mitchell asked a Mecklenburg court to appoint him and his wife as Tiffany's guardians.
On his application, he wrote: "We are seeking guardianship because we were requested to do so by Mrs. Alma Wright before she died."
He wanted to transfer Tiffany to West Mecklenburg High School.
The court set a hearing for Feb. 5 and appointed a child advocate to study the situation and look after Tiffany's best interests in court.
There's no transcript of what happened in court, and the clerk who handled Tiffany's case declined to discuss his decision.
Frederick Benson, a Mecklenburg assistant clerk of superior court, appointed Mitchell the temporary guardian of Tiffany's welfare.
It's unclear if Benson, a lawyer, knew about Mitchell's criminal background. Court clerks are not required to perform background checks in guardianship cases, says Clerk of Superior Court Martha Curran. It's up to each clerk to decide what checks are necessary, and they often rely on court-appointed child advocates to advise them in such cases.
Tiffany's advocate, lawyer Martha Efird, declined to discuss her actions in the case.
It was in the weeks surrounding the Feb. 5 court hearing that Tiffany got pregnant, if hospital estimates are accurate.
But friends say Tiffany, who started at West Mecklenburg High in February, wouldn't realize for four or five months that she was pregnant.
On Feb. 27, clerk of court Benson ordered DSS to conduct a "home study" of the Mitchell household. Officials won't release their findings.
But Mitchell didn't keep custody long, according to several of Tiffany's friends in King's Mountain.
In late March, Mitchell left Tiffany at a group home called With Friends in Gastonia, according to Marlene Jefferies and Cruceta Jeffeirs, two adult family friends who watched Tiffany grow up.
The group home wouldn't confirm that. But the friends say the home reported to social services that Tiffany was abandoned. And she was soon back in foster care.
On March 31, Jeffeirs, a Shelby pastor, wrote a letter to Benson seeking custody of Tiffany: "My desire is to see Tiffany accomplish all the goals that she has set for herself and I believe she can do that in a stable environment with lots of guidance and love."
DSS officials in Gaston and Mecklenburg won't discuss Tiffany's case or answer questions about what steps they took to protect her.
But friends and family say Tiffany was eventually placed in the care of foster parent Susan Barber, in a townhome off Mallard Creek Road in Derita.
By July, it was clear Tiffany was pregnant, friends say.
Barber tried to shield Tiffany from talking to those she believed might be bad influences, according to Tiffany's cousin Brittany Page. But a source close to the investigation said Tiffany and Mitchell continued communicating.
Despite repeated attempts, Barber could not be reached.
As the school year approached, Tiffany prepared to change schools again, this time to Hawthorne High in Charlotte, which offers a special program for pregnant students.
Delayed investigation
On July 27, social workers reported to police that Royce Mitchell might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany.
It took eight days for a detective to look at the case, and three days more for it to be officially assigned to Teresa Johnson, a detective with CMPD's youth crime and domestic violence unit.
Another 12 days passed before Johnson interviewed Tiffany.
It's unclear when detective Johnson discovered Mitchell's background, but it wasn't enough to ramp up the investigation. Investigators say they believed Tiffany was safe in a foster home and faced no threats from Mitchell.
Police say their performance in the case followed procedure and met standards.
Police interview alleged victims immediately if the crime has occurred within the previous 72 hours, so they can gather evidence that may remain. But in cases like Tiffany's - where months had elapsed since the alleged offense - police try to arrange just one interview when children and teen victims of abuse are involved.
Police acknowledge that strategy takes time but minimizes trauma and reduces the chances that young victims might be led into inaccurate testimony by repeated questioning.
Police also let such victims decide when they want to be interviewed at the county's child-victim center called Pat's Place. There, specially trained interviewers talk to victims, while social workers, psychologists, police and others watch from another room.
Tiffany chose an Aug. 19 interview. She didn't say much during the formal interview. But later that day, Johnson won her trust and obtained enough information to move forward with the investigation.
No response from Mitchell
The next day, Aug. 20, the detective made her first call to Mitchell to ask him about the charge, she says. Johnson left a message and gave him a few days to call back.
When Mitchell didn't respond, she made calls over the next two weeks to social workers and a federal probation officer to ask Mitchell to come talk to police.
Police say they didn't immediately arrest him because they believed they could get better information if he talked voluntarily.
On Sept. 9, a federal probation official told Johnson that Mitchell was not coming in.
On Sept. 10, a team of social workers, police and other agencies held a standard follow-up meeting to discuss how to proceed in Tiffany's case.
On Friday, Sept. 11, detective Johnson phoned Mitchell's wife and left a message. She asked her to call back to discuss Tiffany, Johnson says, but didn't give details of the rape allegation.
That Monday, Tiffany was shot and killed.
As emergency vehicles rolled to the scene, Tiffany's school bus was diverted from its normal route. But the students could see flashing lights. Tiffany's friends on the bus, Cimone Black and Tamia Corpening, began to worry.
"I kept texting her phone...," Cimone said. Then she started calling, but all she got was voice mail.
The bus continued on to Hawthorne. For Tamia, the hourlong ride was excruciating.
Nobody said a word.
Staff writers Liz Chandler and Ely Portillo and researcher Maria David contributed.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Shaniya Davis' funeral scheduled for Sunday
Shaniya Davis' funeral scheduled for Sunday
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d21-Shaniya-Davis-funeral-scheduled-for-Sunday
Funeral services for 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis will be held Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at the Manna Church located at 5117 Cliffdale Rd. Fayetteville, NC 28314 .
Hundreds maybe even thousands of mourners are expect to attend and show their love and respect to this beautiful little girl, whose life was stolen much too soon.
For more on this story please visit the link above.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d21-Shaniya-Davis-funeral-scheduled-for-Sunday
Funeral services for 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis will be held Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at the Manna Church located at 5117 Cliffdale Rd. Fayetteville, NC 28314 .
Hundreds maybe even thousands of mourners are expect to attend and show their love and respect to this beautiful little girl, whose life was stolen much too soon.
For more on this story please visit the link above.
COUNTY SUSPENDS AUDIT DIRECTOR
County suspends audit director
Mecklenburg manager aims to restore credibility after error in audit report on $162,000 in donations to charity program.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/1068184.html
By April Bethea
abethea@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009
Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones on Friday said he has suspended the county's internal audit director and will find a permanent replacement in hopes of improving the credibility of county government.
Cornita Spears this week admitted an error in an audit report of how more than $162,000 in donations were spent through a charity meant to buy gifts for needy children. County officials had ordered the audit after allegations of possible misspending.
Spears still works for the county but is on non-disciplinary suspension with pay, Jones said. Spears could not be reached for comment.
Former county Finance Director Harry Weatherly will oversee the audit department as a consultant for up to 90 days. He'll get $80 an hour, the same fee he has received for other work with the county, Jones said.
Chris Waddell, another auditor in the department, will lead day-to-day operations.
Meanwhile, the county's human resources department has been asked to recruit a new department director. Spears would not be considered for the position, Jones said.
Jones first announced the changes in a memo to county commissioners and some staff. He told the Observer he hopes the moves will improve the department's credibility among county management, commissioners and the public.
The county has faced months of scrutiny and criticism from the public following an investigation into the Giving Tree charity, and fiscal practices across the Department of Social Services.
Some commissioners supported the move to replace Spears, but said it doesn't resolve other questions raised in past months.
"I think it's a needed step, but I don't think it's the final solution," said commissioner Neil Cooksey, who recently suggested the county appoint an ethics officer.
The changes come days after Spears issued a revised report about spending within the Giving Tree charity, which was run by DSS. She told commissioners Tuesday that an employee returned more than $33,000 to the county earlier this year, but the money hadn't been properly accounted for until last week.
The county hasn't said publicly who returned the money, just that it was an employee who worked with the Giving Tree for about 10 years.
The Giving Tree program spent more than $162,000 last year. Spears said this week that the $33,000 that was returned helps explain about $23,000 that a June report said was unaccounted for. It also includes $10,000 the employee received in the current year, which wasn't covered in the audit review.
Even with the returned money, however, the county said it still can't offer complete assurance that no money was misspent because of problems with receipts or other documentation for more than $108,000.
Some commissioners said they were disappointed about the new report, saying the county had faced months of scrutiny and criticism by the public. Jones said the error left him embarrassed and was unacceptable.
"It has damaged the credibility of the Internal Audit Department and Mecklenburg County as an organization," Jones wrote in the Friday memo. "I have determined the credibility of the Internal Audit Department cannot be restored with the current management of this department."
Jones told the Observer the error was a failure on the part of the auditor to consider information that had been available before the June report.
Commissioners Vice Chair Harold Cogdell said he thinks Jones had no option but to make personnel changes within the department. "Unfortunately, that was an error that should have been picked up on months ago," he said. "It created some real confusion."
Commissioner Bill James said the management changes were a good step. But he doesn't think they explain whether money was misspent within the Giving Tree program, or address his belief that county auditors should report directly to the board's Audit Review Committee and not county management.
Jones said he plans to meet with Weatherly soon to outline specific goals for his work with Internal Audit. But he said it could include, among other things, recommending what resources are needed in the department and crafting job descriptions for the new hires.
Since leaving his director post, Weatherly has worked with the finance department on issues such as a tax review, software contract and MEDIC.
The Giving Tree study was part of a broader investigation into accounting practices within DSS. Auditors cited numerous lapses within the department's finances.
Since June, the county has announced multiple steps to address the problems, including retraining DSS staff on financial policies and procedures, and putting the department's finances within the county finance office's control. In addition, a review of financial practices within all county departments is under way.
The county also has sought to bolster the internal audit department by agreeing in August to hire more auditors. The board also added two commissioners to its Audit Review Committee and removed county staff as members.
Cogdell said it's important the county make sure it has enough safeguards in place to ensure financial compliance within all county agencies.
Cooksey suggested the ethics officer position earlier this week, and commissioners have said they will study the idea. Cooksey said it is common in the private sector, and said it would keep Jones and other managers out of investigations.
See the paper trail here
Mecklenburg manager aims to restore credibility after error in audit report on $162,000 in donations to charity program.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/1068184.html
By April Bethea
abethea@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009
Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones on Friday said he has suspended the county's internal audit director and will find a permanent replacement in hopes of improving the credibility of county government.
Cornita Spears this week admitted an error in an audit report of how more than $162,000 in donations were spent through a charity meant to buy gifts for needy children. County officials had ordered the audit after allegations of possible misspending.
Spears still works for the county but is on non-disciplinary suspension with pay, Jones said. Spears could not be reached for comment.
Former county Finance Director Harry Weatherly will oversee the audit department as a consultant for up to 90 days. He'll get $80 an hour, the same fee he has received for other work with the county, Jones said.
Chris Waddell, another auditor in the department, will lead day-to-day operations.
Meanwhile, the county's human resources department has been asked to recruit a new department director. Spears would not be considered for the position, Jones said.
Jones first announced the changes in a memo to county commissioners and some staff. He told the Observer he hopes the moves will improve the department's credibility among county management, commissioners and the public.
The county has faced months of scrutiny and criticism from the public following an investigation into the Giving Tree charity, and fiscal practices across the Department of Social Services.
Some commissioners supported the move to replace Spears, but said it doesn't resolve other questions raised in past months.
"I think it's a needed step, but I don't think it's the final solution," said commissioner Neil Cooksey, who recently suggested the county appoint an ethics officer.
The changes come days after Spears issued a revised report about spending within the Giving Tree charity, which was run by DSS. She told commissioners Tuesday that an employee returned more than $33,000 to the county earlier this year, but the money hadn't been properly accounted for until last week.
The county hasn't said publicly who returned the money, just that it was an employee who worked with the Giving Tree for about 10 years.
The Giving Tree program spent more than $162,000 last year. Spears said this week that the $33,000 that was returned helps explain about $23,000 that a June report said was unaccounted for. It also includes $10,000 the employee received in the current year, which wasn't covered in the audit review.
Even with the returned money, however, the county said it still can't offer complete assurance that no money was misspent because of problems with receipts or other documentation for more than $108,000.
Some commissioners said they were disappointed about the new report, saying the county had faced months of scrutiny and criticism by the public. Jones said the error left him embarrassed and was unacceptable.
"It has damaged the credibility of the Internal Audit Department and Mecklenburg County as an organization," Jones wrote in the Friday memo. "I have determined the credibility of the Internal Audit Department cannot be restored with the current management of this department."
Jones told the Observer the error was a failure on the part of the auditor to consider information that had been available before the June report.
Commissioners Vice Chair Harold Cogdell said he thinks Jones had no option but to make personnel changes within the department. "Unfortunately, that was an error that should have been picked up on months ago," he said. "It created some real confusion."
Commissioner Bill James said the management changes were a good step. But he doesn't think they explain whether money was misspent within the Giving Tree program, or address his belief that county auditors should report directly to the board's Audit Review Committee and not county management.
Jones said he plans to meet with Weatherly soon to outline specific goals for his work with Internal Audit. But he said it could include, among other things, recommending what resources are needed in the department and crafting job descriptions for the new hires.
Since leaving his director post, Weatherly has worked with the finance department on issues such as a tax review, software contract and MEDIC.
The Giving Tree study was part of a broader investigation into accounting practices within DSS. Auditors cited numerous lapses within the department's finances.
Since June, the county has announced multiple steps to address the problems, including retraining DSS staff on financial policies and procedures, and putting the department's finances within the county finance office's control. In addition, a review of financial practices within all county departments is under way.
The county also has sought to bolster the internal audit department by agreeing in August to hire more auditors. The board also added two commissioners to its Audit Review Committee and removed county staff as members.
Cogdell said it's important the county make sure it has enough safeguards in place to ensure financial compliance within all county agencies.
Cooksey suggested the ethics officer position earlier this week, and commissioners have said they will study the idea. Cooksey said it is common in the private sector, and said it would keep Jones and other managers out of investigations.
See the paper trail here
POLICE OPEN MURDER INQUIRY INTO DEATH OF 4-MONTH-OLD BOY
Police open murder inquiry into death of 4-month-old boy
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20091120/NEWS01/911200310/1002/Police-open-murder-inquiry-into-death-of-4-month-old-boy
BY CARL BURNETT JR. • The Eagle-Gazette Staff • November 20, 2009
LANCASTER -- Investigators are looking into who or what caused fatal injuries to a 4-month-old Lancaster boy.
According to a Lancaster police report, the department has opened a murder investigation into the death of the Bryson Mershon. No one has been charged in the boy's death.
Bryson was living with his aunt, Kristina M. Mowery, and her boyfriend, Eric D. Hopkins, at 332 Trace Drive, Apt. 26.
Bryson died at Nationwide Children's Hospital at 6:21 p.m. Wednesday.
On Oct. 31, Hopkins and Mowery contacted emergency services because Bryson was unresponsive.
The child had subdural hemorrhages, skull fractures and multiple fractures, according to a Lancaster police report.
However, Hopkins' brother, Andy Hopkins, who lives nearby, said he can't believe the couple had anything to do with the injuries.
"They loved that child," Andy Hopkins said. "They already had two children they were taking care of and took in Bryson. They wanted to keep him out of a foster home."
Lancaster police, Fairfield County Children Services and officials from Children's Hospital are investigating "multiple fatal injuries" found on Bryson, according to a news release from the Lancaster police department.
According to the release, Bryson sustained multiple, non-accidental, life-threatening injuries.
"Bryson had been placed with Hopkins and Mowery since birth and was in their exclusive care since that time," the release said.
Jean Griffith, a next-door neighbor of Mowery and Hopkins, on Thursday said she hadn't seen the couple for days.
"But they treated (Bryson) like one of their own," Griffith said. "They loved that child. I don't know what is going on."
The Eagle-Gazette was unable to reach Mowery or Hopkins for comment.
Bryson's condition was brought to light during a Fairfield County commissioners' meeting on Tuesday, in which commissioners discussed having a child in the custody of Fairfield County Child Protective Services in critical condition. Bryson was born with cocaine in his system, according to court records.
Rich Bowlen, director of the Fairfield County Child Protective Services, said he would not comment on the investigation based on advice from the Fairfield County Prosecutor's Office.
However, he did say his office was handling a significant increase in the number of calls concerning children's conditions.
"In 2007, we had 4,400 calls, and as of Oct. 31, we have had 4,400 calls," Bowlen said.
The number of calls specifically regarding abuse and neglect of children was 675 in 2007 and had reached 670 in 2009 by Oct. 31.
The number of calls that rose to the level of a physical abuse investigation was 206 in 2007 and up to 158 by Oct. 31 in 2009.
The prosecutor's office would not comment on the case.
"The prosecutor's office is very sad to hear Bryson has passed away," Fairfield County Assistant Prosecutor Gregg Marx said. "Our office is unwilling to comment on the progress of any investigation."
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20091120/NEWS01/911200310/1002/Police-open-murder-inquiry-into-death-of-4-month-old-boy
BY CARL BURNETT JR. • The Eagle-Gazette Staff • November 20, 2009
LANCASTER -- Investigators are looking into who or what caused fatal injuries to a 4-month-old Lancaster boy.
According to a Lancaster police report, the department has opened a murder investigation into the death of the Bryson Mershon. No one has been charged in the boy's death.
Bryson was living with his aunt, Kristina M. Mowery, and her boyfriend, Eric D. Hopkins, at 332 Trace Drive, Apt. 26.
Bryson died at Nationwide Children's Hospital at 6:21 p.m. Wednesday.
On Oct. 31, Hopkins and Mowery contacted emergency services because Bryson was unresponsive.
The child had subdural hemorrhages, skull fractures and multiple fractures, according to a Lancaster police report.
However, Hopkins' brother, Andy Hopkins, who lives nearby, said he can't believe the couple had anything to do with the injuries.
"They loved that child," Andy Hopkins said. "They already had two children they were taking care of and took in Bryson. They wanted to keep him out of a foster home."
Lancaster police, Fairfield County Children Services and officials from Children's Hospital are investigating "multiple fatal injuries" found on Bryson, according to a news release from the Lancaster police department.
According to the release, Bryson sustained multiple, non-accidental, life-threatening injuries.
"Bryson had been placed with Hopkins and Mowery since birth and was in their exclusive care since that time," the release said.
Jean Griffith, a next-door neighbor of Mowery and Hopkins, on Thursday said she hadn't seen the couple for days.
"But they treated (Bryson) like one of their own," Griffith said. "They loved that child. I don't know what is going on."
The Eagle-Gazette was unable to reach Mowery or Hopkins for comment.
Bryson's condition was brought to light during a Fairfield County commissioners' meeting on Tuesday, in which commissioners discussed having a child in the custody of Fairfield County Child Protective Services in critical condition. Bryson was born with cocaine in his system, according to court records.
Rich Bowlen, director of the Fairfield County Child Protective Services, said he would not comment on the investigation based on advice from the Fairfield County Prosecutor's Office.
However, he did say his office was handling a significant increase in the number of calls concerning children's conditions.
"In 2007, we had 4,400 calls, and as of Oct. 31, we have had 4,400 calls," Bowlen said.
The number of calls specifically regarding abuse and neglect of children was 675 in 2007 and had reached 670 in 2009 by Oct. 31.
The number of calls that rose to the level of a physical abuse investigation was 206 in 2007 and up to 158 by Oct. 31 in 2009.
The prosecutor's office would not comment on the case.
"The prosecutor's office is very sad to hear Bryson has passed away," Fairfield County Assistant Prosecutor Gregg Marx said. "Our office is unwilling to comment on the progress of any investigation."
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