Where Has The Money Gone? Local United Way Spent Millions On Jail Programs?

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Deborah Keller

As you all know we have been following the situation at the jail for several years now. It was always very frustrating to us that we could never get information during Chris Francis’ administration. Sheriff Ellenburg has been much more transparent but that being said he inherited many problems that had been years in the making.

One of those major issues has been mental health/drug issue with persons incarcerated at the jail. I have been questioning the services offered to inmates at the jail after a parent contacted me early last year about her begging for help for her son and him never getting any.

I began to look at the supposed services offered. The county and the Hospital foundation has been giving money to support these programs for years but I had great difficulty obtaining information about the success of these programs.

After asking Ms. Porter repeatedly for at least a list of available programs with no response, we obtained legal counsel to help with the freedom of information requests to see how these grants and funds have been spent and their success rate. Not an unreasonable request from a nonprofit institution that is using our tax dollars.

To my great surprise these requests have been blocked by the nonprofit involved. This has gotten me very concerned as I remember when the United Way CEO misappropriated funds, committed fraud, and conspiracy back in 1995. I have had concerns here through the years as services they have been funded for did not appear to be available (at least not in Rutherford County)

We became even more concerned when representatives and legal counsel became involved with this request. It seems an underground discussion of our requests have set off quite a stir with the people funding these programs. Not only will they not be transparent but also they are actively attacking our efforts to discover the truth.

The reason this is important is that after all this questioning the County announces funding for Jail Services and United Way. The Commissioners allocated a total of $139,900. $43,000 of this is actually for services in the jail with $55,000 to be used for “treatment and placement reserves” $32,000 is awarded to a number of vague categories.

The issue and concern here is that $32,700 was given to the United Way of Rutherford County for “grant writing and management services.” The timing of this is very interesting, as it has occurred after our multiple requests for program information.

Suzanne Porter is the Executive Director of the United Way of Rutherford County. She has worked for years in close proximity to former Sheriff Francis, the Commissioners and many different committees. She has obtained an impressive number of grants over the past few years and because of her close connections with officials has been entrusted with handling much of these funds.

Chris Francis, Josh Stein, Suzanne Porte

Why does this matter? Porter has obtained over $3 million dollars of grants that were to be spent on mental health, substance abuse and other re-entry services for individuals incarcerated at the jail.

This sounds wonderful but where are the results of this? Why would they not shout to the rooftops about how well their program was working? Why can I not find any indication that these programs existed? Why did they have their lawyer contact us about asking?

Over the past few months several people besides our group have been asking questions. At a recent Rutherford Collaborative meeting run by Partners Health Management (the same entity handling the $139,900 being awarded for the exact same jail services that were supposedly funded, but seemingly never created by previous grants), one of the local mental health representatives announced that they were planning to host an incarceration re-entry simulation event to highlight the need for mental health and substance abuse services in the jail.

In response Porter (who is coincidentally the Vice-Chair of this collaborative) attacked this idea by claiming that her organization (the United Way, was providing re-entry services, including mental health, substance abuse, housing, etc. The member then asked for a list of those services. Carol Bostian the Partners representative instructed this person to contact Porter after the meeting and that the requested information would be provided.

Porter subsequently refused to respond to five requests for the information from this person and finally had an attorney in Apex, NC respond refusing to issue any information including even the names of the services. This attorney also responded to Foothills Catalyst information request with a big NO.

I am a Duke University certified nonprofit manager and this was a first for me. A nonprofit that received in excess of a million dollars in grants funds refusing to show how it was spent. This is totally wrong on so many points. It is not a HIPAA violation to report on programs and success rates.

Because Partners is tasked with assisting and identifying these types of services, the provider contacted Partners requesting the same information. Rather than provide any information or assistance, the Partners representative that oversees the collaborative engaged in a series of troubling actions to avoid answering any questions relating to these issues, which ultimately resulted in Partners cancelling future collaborative meetings so then no one could follow up on this issue.

During this process, several providers began researching whether any reentry services at the jail existed, as well as whether any grant funds had been awarded to create and administer them. In doing so, they discovered that the United Way had repeatedly applied for (and been awarded) grants in which Porter routinely identified the exact same services that the grants would fund. Nearly all of Porter’s grant applications represented that the funds would be used for jail services, as well as programs and services for mental health and substance abuse. After speaking with multiple officials at the jail, however, they simply do not seem to exist.

In each of the grant applications, Porter identified officials and entities that she claimed would be participants in creating and administering these services. Among those were Partners, Sheriff Francis, and County Manager Garrison.

Porter is refusing to answer these questions, Francis is no longer in office, so that leaves the current Sheriff or his Jail representative to confirm or deny these programs exist and County Manager Garrison should do the same.

While most would agree that this funding is needed, the larger question remains – where have the millions of dollars in funding that has already been paid for these exact same purposes gone and why would the United Way continue to have any role in this?

People like to think that these sort of things do not go on in small town friendly America but as with all things follow the money. It is truly as the good book says “love of money is the root of all evil.”

We will continue to look into this issue. The issues at the jail are close to my heart and I have not forgotten those people there. Our community cares about others and wants to help them as this just makes us a stronger community but we do not want to throw money down a bottomless hole.

So far that is what this seems like. I sincerely hope there is no criminal activity going on here in the misappropriations of funds as has happened with the United Way in the past.

Hopefully they will clear all this up and release the data on their programs so we can all work together to figure out something that works for these unfortunate individuals. So far it does not seem to be helping much.

Rutherford County Jail…… Blame Game Starts.

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Deborah Keller

April 28, 2023

Yesterday I posted an article about the female side of the jail closing. Then late last night I read an article with statements made by the County Manager. I thought to myself…Really, really???

They are upset that the very young, newly elected Sheriff may not have had the training to run the jail. Well DUH! No one that is elected to a position that has not held that position before knows everything involved in the office.

Ellenburg has networked with other Sheriff’s in the area to learn what is expected and attended training to help him figure out what needs to be done. We have seen the increase in drug arrests. His social media account shows that. He appears to be trying to get up to speed on the jail disaster he inherited.

Why in the world did they not help him transition into this position? They have managers, maintenance people, etc. that could have helped with ordinances, maintenance, etc. They knew the jail has multiple problems before he was even elected.

Now comes the real kicker. The Commissioners (excluding Benfield) toured the jail themselves before I did on March 3^rd (over 55 days ago). They actually walked through that decrepit cesspool on the female side. They smelled it, they saw the mold, the women crowded on the floor. They felt the heat and saw the walls dripping with moisture, the many layers of paint peeling off the bars, and the rust everywhere.

Why in the world did they not tell the Sheriff to get those women out of there that day? These good Christian elected officials saw the squalor and conditions that day themselves. I told the Sheriff the day I toured that the women needed to be moved ASAP. Our shelter animals live in much better conditions than these women.

Yet the Commissioners decided that the subject of moving them needed to be “studied”? It all comes down to money. It would cost money to move them. MONEY…doesn’t it always seem to come down to money?

What about humanity, what about those women’s constitutional rights? I sat in my car and cried for fifteen minutes after my tour. I cried that any human being would be housed in such situations in my own county. I cried that no one seemed to care enough to do something. These were mothers, daughters, and sisters. I cried that my elected officials had allowed this to happen.

The Commissioners had fifty-five (55) days that they could have moved these women yet they did not do so until forced to by state inspectors. I am appalled by their apathy and inaction. These are not the men I thought they were.

Now they want to “blame” the Sheriff who has been in office for less than four months? This did not happen in four months time. Former Sheriff Francis had let this go on for years. Why did County Maintenance not notify the county about the conditions when they went in there to work on things? Why did past inspectors not do anything? (that’s for another article)

Why did NO ONE seem to care? Was it was because they were women? I thought we were past that kind of thinking. Obviously not it seems.

At this point they are out of there but there is still the fact that their constitutional rights were violated during the time they were there. That will be a federal matter that must be dealt with. The fact that officials allowed this to go on for so long hurts my heart deeply and makes me want to examine all the reasons why.

I have been heartbroken over this since March 3^rd. I will never forget the inmate standing in the shadow of her cell saying, “Please help us.” I think “some” of our good Christian leaders have forgotten the teachings that we are all ALL God’s children.

This situation is far from over. Stop blaming and start helping. It will take everyone to help fix this mess. The problems have been identified so now address them as a unified government body. We as a community deserve no less.

Rutherford County Jail…… Female Side Closed by Inspectors.

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Deborah Keller

April 27, 2023

It appears that inspectors have finally had enough of the conditions at the jail and closed the female side for multiple violations. All female prisoners should be removed and placed in other jails in the surrounding counties by Friday.

As I reported last month the conditions in the women’s side of the jail was inhumane and the rest of the facility was not a lot better. The age of the jail is such that parts are difficult to find for repairs for some items or the people making them are now out of business.

Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg inherited this sinking ship several months ago when he was sworn into office after being elected. It is almost impossible to raise a ship once it’s 98% under water but he is trying. Former Sheriff Chris Francis and the Commissioners apparently had let the jail sink to an unmanageable state before he ever took office.

This closure will cost the county quite a bit of money as we, (Rutherford County taxpayers) have to pay other facilities to house our female prisoners. This however is cheaper than what lawsuits would cost for violations of inmates constitutional rights or the death of an inmate from conditions at the jail. I myself became very ill after just touring the facility.

One of the issues at hand is also the fact that DA Ted Bell’s office has a tremendous backlog of cases. The right to a speedy trial does not seem to be applicable here. A lot of these cases are people jailed awaiting acceptance of a plea deal so that no actual trials have to take place. This makes the DA’s office look more successful in “winning” cases but backs up available jail space. According to public records one particular prisoner has been in the jail over 1800 days awaiting trial which looks like it has cost the county around $90k.

This is inexcusable. Sheriff Ellenburg says he wants to “do the right thing” in his position but doing the right thing costs money and the county does not seem to want to put money into the jail. The Sheriff was even seen mowing the grass at the jail himself this past week.

Sheriff Ellenburg has said publicly that he will not accept the issues of drugs being smuggled into the jail. Trustees leaving the facility to go outside is definitely a safety risk and viable avenue for drugs to be brought in, so not allowing them outside to cut grass makes sense. Also they use trustees to clean the offices at the jail, which allows them accessibility to anything (drugs or contraband) that might be left in an area by someone from outside.

The County needs to stop the practice of using prisoners for free labor. Having the freedom to go outside and into the offices after hours to clean the building is a severe safety risk. The phrase “we’ve always done it this way” is not going to fly anymore. We have employees and contractors that do this work for the county’s other departments so why not the jail?

Yes, the closure of the jail will cost the county money but it is the right thing to do until the county can get it fixed and up to code. If not then they need to explore the option of building a new one. I reached out to Sheriff Ellenburg for a statement about the closure and he said “We are looking at a new beginning for the Rutherford County Detention Center.” This definitely seems like a positive step in getting the jail fixed.

This is the United States of America and Rutherford County should not allow third world conditions for prisoners to exist here. This is an issue apparently caused by former Sheriff Chris Francis, the Commissioners, and current DA Ted Bell. Francis is gone but DA Bell can get his office in gear and get some of these people out of there. The Commissioners can also do what needs to be done to fix it or if not fixable build a new one.

The Commissioners need to stand beside Sheriff Ellenburg and “do the right thing” in fixing this problem instead of being forced to by inspectors. It affects all of us. We as a community are better than this. It is a time for new beginning. This verse in KJV bible seems to say it best. Matthew 25:40 – “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Horrific Conditions In Rutherford County Jail

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Deborah Keller

I have repeatedly written about my concerns in the jail over the years. Since Sheriff Ellenburg ran on a promise of transparency I requested to be allowed to actually tour the dentition facility so I could give a first hand account of the conditions there.

He granted my request and I was allowed to tour the facility with another gentleman last week.

I knew what I had heard from interviewing previous inmates and their families but I was still not prepared for the conditions I saw, especially in the women’s section of the facility. I have sent a list of additional questions to the sheriff for clarification as I plan to do several informational articles about the jail.

This article is mostly about the conditions in the women’s area. To say it horrified me is an understatement. It literally was all I could do to not cry as I toured it with the matron assigned to me. When she opened the door to the area the heat and humidity took my breath. It felt like walking into a suffocatingly oppressive steam room.

She explained to me that the ventilation ducts did not work and they had fans in the hallways trying to move air some. The women were crowded in the cells with many lying on their sleeping mats on the floor as there are not enough beds.

Mold was everywhere. Many of the ceiling tiles were covered with it. The bars were rusting with multiple layers of paint peeling off of them. One of the inmates who had been there a while told me they had to paint the bars themselves in the past when officials knew someone was coming to tour.

She said the toilet was not flushing in her area and the other toilet in the main area was leaking on the bottom. They had put plastic bags around it to try to keep it off the mats they slept on.

The walls in the hallways were dripping wet when I touched them. The high upper windows allowed very little light into the area. I was told it was worse when it rained.

I asked if the inmates got to go outside and was told only when they had a court date. Some of these woman had been in there quite a long time awaiting trial. If someone is too poor to make bail they have to stay until their court date. This places a huge burden on the financially disadvantaged persons in our county.

We went through a door to another area and the door had sanitary napkins stuck to it. I asked why I was told that the door slammed shut so hard and stuck so they were placed there to pad it. Doorways had equipment blocking them. The matron actually had to move stuff out into another hallway to open a door for me to go through.

They did tell me they had hot water for showers now but that had not always been the case in the past. As I was leaving my heart broke when an older female inmate begged me to please do something to help them. I promised her I would try my best to let people know what the conditions were there.

I have watched many movies showing prisons and jails in third world countries. I never in a million years would have believed that our detention center/jail was worse when it came to housing women, but it in fact is.

As I stepped out into the men’s section the air became much cooler and less humid but I still felt like I needed a puff on my inhaler to keep breathing properly. I thought to myself that, inmates not withstanding, how in the world was this not a danger to the employees working in these areas?

It is a fact that heat breeds aggression, and mold affects breathing, which in turn affects thought processes. This area is a disaster waiting to happen. I wondered how many jail employees have respiratory problems.

This part of the jail was built in the 1970’s (fifty years ago) and was supposed to hold approx. 29 inmates, as that was the available number of beds. It averages 35 to 40 female inmates most of the time, which is why so many are now sleeping on mats on the floor.

I asked Sheriff Ellenburg if anything could be done to alleviate these conditions. He said they planed to fix the ventilation system and clean the rust and bars but they had to figure out where to house the women safely while this was happening.

This is a situation that has occurred through years of systemic neglect, not only by previous sheriffs, but by the County Commissioners. The Commissioners/County are responsible for funding, maintenance and upkeep of the Detention Center.

There are many other things that I will cover in further articles, but this situation is critical.

I do understand that all the Commissioners except Mr. Benfield have recently toured the facility at Sheriff Ellenburg’s request. What I don’t understand is why DA Ted Bell, his assistants, and the magistrates have not toured this area. They are the ones sending people here for extended periods of time. They should at least know what the conditions of living are that they are sentencing people to.

We as a community are better than this. It is inhumane of us to allow this to go on. Regardless of the crimes these women are charged with some have not been found guilty as of yet, but still must live in these horrific conditions. Some for extended times waiting for the district attorney to call their cases.

Our Commissioners need to do better. We have a new Sheriff that is trying to keep his campaign promises and make the Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center a better/safer place for everyone who comes through there as well as his employees. He can’t do it alone.

Call or contact your Commissioners about this issue. They have been there and know about it first hand. They need to address this. It is just not about the money. This is a human rights issue. No one in the United States should have to be imprisoned in these circumstances.

As I was begged to do while there…PLEASE HELP!

Contact your Commissioners to address this problem NOW via email by clicking here (their email addresses are under their pictures on the page) or call and leave a message at 828-287-6060.

These women are neighbors, family, mothers, and daughters. As the Golden Rule says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Again…PLEASE HELP.

MCSO: Felon Charged with Gun Possession

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Anna Burton

Lieutenant Chris Taylor with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged 36-year-old Jason Darryl Causby with felonious Possession of Firearm by Felon. A magistrate issued Causby a $25,000 secured bond.

On January 4^th, 2023, Lieutenant Taylor and Community Supervision Officers searched Causby’s residence. The search turned up a handgun. Causby is a convicted felon and is prohibited by NC Law from possessing a firearm.

There Can Be Only One ….. RC Sheriff’s Race 2022

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Deborah Keller

**OPINION**

11/02/22

Our Sheriff’s race has been quite a roller coaster ride this year. First we had candidate Tony Roberson (former Polk County deputy) throwing his hat in the ring two years ago as a Republican candidate, we also knew that Jason Wease (business owner) was going to run as a Democrat as he has declared he would run each time back in 2013.

The current Sheriff Chris Francis (age 48) who has been in office for twelve years was not ready to retire so he would be running again. Then Steve Theodoropoulis (former Florida HP and Fed Air Marshall) who ran in 2018 announced he would also be running as a Republican candidate.

The man to beat at that time was the incumbent Sheriff Chris Francis. Sheriff Francis had twelve years worth of record to try to defend and in the past few years a lot of questionable things have gone on in his department. This being said between deaths at the jail, officer actions and lawsuits Sheriff Francis decided to pull out of the race.

This action put quite a monkey wrench into the strategy and campaigns of the other two candidates who had been gearing up to run against Francis. Now they had to focus their campaign on who would be the better candidate for the job. As they were trying to change direction there was another development in the race.

NC DMV Officer Aaron Ellenburg put his name in the hat to run in the Republican primary. The other two candidates tried to tie Ellenburg with Francis even though he did not actually work for the Sheriff’s department.

This started the negative campaigning right out of the gate. So many negative things were said and posted on social media about each of the Republican candidates it was hard to keep tract of them. Jason Wease did as he has done in the past and totally stayed away from the negativity surrounding the other candidates.

The Federal government then tossed us a curve ball and moved the primary from February to May trying to make sure all state districts were represented as fair as possible.

Then, Lo and Behold, Republican candidate Tony Roberson decided that the Republican Party was not aligning with his personal beliefs and was being run by Word of Faith Fellowship. He pulled out of the Republican primary race and decided to run as an unaffiliated candidate. This required him to get enough signatures to be put on the final ballot, which he did. He is in fact still a registered Republican but is running independent of their party.

So….whew! (dizzy yet?) The primary was finally held in May with Aaron Ellenburg being chosen as the Republican Party’s candidate for Sheriff. This set up a ballot with Ellenburg (R), Wease (D), and Roberson (U).

As the race went on the negativity just got uglier. One huge point of contention was the fact that Roberson’s pick for Chief Deputy, should he win, was former disgraced Sheriff’s Deputy Jamie Dunn. As you may recall he was fired, charged, and convicted for excessive violence against a restrained person in the jail. (see video here)

It was implied on social media that Ellenburg had no real law enforcement experience and was a “pick” of current Sherriff Francis so nothing would really change. Wease who stayed away from all the negativity just continued to run his campaign for change in his own style.

Now to mention another twist in this race. Roberson had a woman arrested and charged with posting malicious statements on social media. She was pursued for eight months at great personal expense to only have the charges dropped on the day of her hearing.

Then several months later Roberson himself was sued for posting inaccurate things with malicious intent on social media about someone else. (head spinning now?) He stopped posting things after that but his Chief Deputy pick Dunn continued to post things going so far as to dig up old text messages between people from years ago and posting them.

Early voting started on Oct 20^th. It will end on Nov. 5^th with the final election being held on Tuesday Nov. 8^th. You can vote for the candidate of your choice regardless of party (if there is a choice in a race) or not vote for any of them if you choose. It is important to go vote even if you leave some races blank. It sends a message of dissatisfaction to that candidate for sure.

The point however is that the Sheriff’s race is a local election. Whoever wins still will have the taste of that negativity in their mouth after the campaign. Those feelings do not just magically go away the day after the vote comes in. Neighbors, friends, and families remember the hurtful things said and done by each other. These wounds will fester for a long time.

We all are neighbors and members of this community. No matter who wins we all must learn to get along and let the hurts of this election be behind us. I hope that the damage can be repaired and that all can support the winner. This county has serious issues in the Sheriff’s office and especially the jail. Issues that will take everyone’s input and help to try to correct. Hopefully all will support the winner of this race and allow them time to try to correct the problems they will face when they take office.

This is not an episode of Highlander. No one needs to lose their head. No matter how many run for an office there can be only ONE.

County Police Force …….. Is Now The Time?

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Deborah Keller

**Opinion**

10-19-22

Early voting starts October 20^th. We have multiple uncontested candidates on the ballot but the Sheriff’s race is not one of those. There are three candidates running for this office. Aaron Ellenburg (R), Jason Weast (D), and Tony Roberson (U).

This has been a contentious race and doesn’t look to get any kinder in the next few weeks before the election. Many things have been said or implied about the candidates on social media. If you have any question ask the candidates directly. They will answer you. Your vote is yours to do with as you wish.

One concern that has been brought up in the past and is a concern now is the politicization of the Sheriff’s Office. Being a law enforcement officer is a very difficult and demanding profession and having to deal with the possibility of losing your job over your political leanings every four years is an unnecessary added stress to these trained officers.

Not to even mention how much we require our Sheriff to try to manage and handle. Our jail has been understaffed and incorrectly managed for years now. It has failed multiple inspections and many injuries, incidents, and even deaths have occurred there. It needs full time attention and an involved Sheriff in its operation. Just throwing more money at it will not solve the problems there. Being heavily involved in the safety of the courthouse is also demanding.

In years past we have seen the animal shelter and the 911 center moved from under the Sheriff’s umbrella. Would it be too far fetched to think that having a county police force would be more beneficial to the people of this county? No politics, no jail administration, no courthouse duties.

Other counties in the state have done this with very good results. It takes the politics out of policing and holds officers and staff accountable to county management. Officers will also have clear-cut direct representation and recourse with personnel issues. This would help assure the public that officers and administration would be held accountable for their actions and that the officers themselves would have proper steps to accomplish their training standards.

Doing this would allow the new Sheriff, whomever he is, to concentrate on the jail and the courthouse. The problems of the jail are more than enough for one man and his staff to get straightened out.

This would be an initial expensive outlay for the county but would pay for itself in time. The counties that have done this have been very happy with the results. It gives the Sheriff time to concentrate on the jail and courthouse, which are two very important things that desperately need his full attention.

It takes a legislative act to proceed with such an action but Rutherford County was grated that several years ago. All the commissioners really have to do is vote for it. It would not be an easy transition but one that would ultimately benefit not only the officers but the county as well. Guaranteeing to keep highly trained officers in their jobs with no fear of being removed every four years due to the political climate.

It is a way to build back trust in our community policing. The majority of these officers work very hard and deserve to be appreciated by the people they serve. They are here to protect and serve.

The time to act on this is now for the commissioners. With a new Sheriff coming in after twelve years if they are planning to transition now is the time to do it. If you feel that this is needed in this county please contact your commissioners and let them know. Call 828-287-6060 or email hazel.haynes@rutherfordcountync.gov with your concerns and she will get your message to them.

Let’s bring back “We the people” to our communities.

Another Incident At The Jail?

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Deborah Keller

October 9, 2022

Last night I received a message that an incident had occurred at the jail. The details were a bit fuzzy stating that a shank was used in an assault but later cleared up by a second source.

I asked for a statement from Sheriff Francis last night confirming these events and he has yet to reply.

The allegations are that a violent offender named Stephen Mooney, who is currently being held on a murder charge, (see here) attacked another inmate by placing a bag over his head in an attempt to kill him. It appeared to be a hostage situation and the jail called for assistance from law enforcement personnel.

Individuals from Rutherfordton Police Department and Spindale Police Department arrived at the jail to assist but were not allowed access until the Sheriff could let them in.

It had been said that a request to move Mooney had been made due to his violent nature but was denied by the county for economic reasons. (having to pay to send him somewhere else)

EMS were called to the jail and the injured inmate was transported for medical attention. Last report said the inmate was in ICU on a ventilator and Mooney was being charged with attempted murder.

Updates will be published as we receive them concerning this.

A New Sheriff In Town…..Voting 2022

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Deborah Keller

9/30/22

This November Rutherford County will have the opportunity to vote in a new Sheriff. Our current Sheriff Chris Francis after multiple incidences with the office decided not to run again. Sheriff Francis has been in office for twelve (12) years being elected in 2010 from a position as a School Resource Officer at age 36.

The three men who are running to replace him are Republican Aaron Ellenburg, Democrat Jason Wease, and Independent (Republican) Tony Roberson. Each man has his own unique reasons and qualifications for seeking this office.

We hear a lot about qualifications to run for Sheriff but according to the NC Constitution:

“Every qualified voter in North Carolina who is 21 years of age, except as in this Constitution disqualified, shall be eligible for election by the people to office. The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God. Second, with respect to any office that is filled by election by the people, any person who is not qualified to vote in an election for that office. Third, any person who has been adjudged guilty of treason or any other felony against this State or the United States, or any person who has been adjudged guilty of a felony in another state that also would be a felony if it had been committed in this State, or any person who has been adjudged guilty of corruption or malpractice in any office, or any person who has been removed by impeachment from any office, and who has not been restored to the rights of citizenship in the manner prescribed by law.”

Aaron Ellenburg, age 42 is currently working for NCDMV as an Enforcement Officer. He is based in Cleveland County now since filing to run for Sheriff required a transfer out of Rutherford County per department policy.

He worked for Forest City Police Department as a Patrol Officer from June -’00 -Jan. -’04. NC Certified Law Enforcement Instructor May -’07 – present. He worked with Rutherford County Sheriff Office from Jan. -’04 – Sept. -’05. He went to NCDMV in Oct. -’05 (current) working as a Vehicle, License, and Theft Investigator. Serving as Homeland Security Task Force Officer Mar. -’18 – current. Reserve Officer for Rutherfordton Police Dept. Nov. -’99 – Sept.-’02. Aaron was a graduate of RS Central High School in 1998 and received his BLET from Isothermal Community College in 1999.

“I think what stands out is I am willing to listen to the people, and work with them to make our county better. I don’t care if you are rich or poor I care about your life. It breaks my heart seeing our county the way it is. I want to improve community/police relations. I am running for Sheriff to make a positive change in our county and with your help we can do it.” –Aaron Ellenburg.

He has had twenty-two plus (22+) years working continuously in different areas of law enforcement. Aaron is married to his wife Nikki and they have six (6) children. Aaron has asked former Rutherfordton Police Chief and retired SBI Special Investigator Randy Greenway to be his Chief Deputy should he be elected.

Jason Wease, age 39 is currently the owner of Wease Enterprises in Mooresboro. He graduated from Chase High School. He has also been a lifetime resident of Rutherford County. Jason announced his run for Sheriff in 2013 after saying he was compelled to run by God. He has answered that calling faithfully.

“We have a huge drug problem in the county. If elected this would be my goal, to clean up this county. I feel that God has called me to serve as your next Sheriff. I am not a politician, but I am a man of God, and want to make Rutherford County the best place to live, work, and raise a family.” –Jason Wease .

He has no law enforcement background but is a successful businessman with management experience. He currently lives in Forest City with his wife Ashton and his 4 children. Jason has not shared whom his Chief Deputy would be should he win the office.

Tony Roberson, age 57 does not list any full time employment currently. He graduated from Chase High School and received training in law enforcement from Isothermal Community College.

Tony worked for Polk County Sheriff’s department the following dates. (per Polk County records). Full time as a Jailer May -’96-June -’96 then Deputy June -’96 until Sept. -’97 when he resigned, then part-time as March -’98 as a temp, then full time Patrol Officer Nov. -’98, then resigned full time May -’99. Then July -’99 as part time Jailer. Then Sept. -’99 went to full time Deputy. Then April -’00 became Deputy Sergeant, then May -’01 he resigned.

Became a Reserve Officer in August -’02. Then returned as part-time Jailer Nov. -’07, then goes full time as a Deputy Dec. -’07, Sergeant on Feb. -’08, joined Investigations, then May -’08 he become Lt. in Investigations , June -’08 Capt. of Patrol, July -’08 Chief Deputy, then Interim Sheriff on Nov. -’08, and involuntary termination by newly appointed Sheriff Nov. -’08.

This totals up to four and one-half (4-1/2) years full-time experience and six (6) years as a reserve office/part-time in law enforcement. There is no record of him being involved in active law enforcement for fourteen (14) years. He was running as a Republican but left his party after disagreement with their policies to run as an Independent/Unaffiliated Republican.

“Community policing is critical in attracting industry and greater economic opportunity to the county. I want to give companies greater incentive to establish business here, by providing a safer, more drug-free workforce. New business enterprises will not come to this county as long as it remains drug infested. I want to restore public trust in the Sheriff’s Department.”-Tony Roberson.

He currently lives in Rutherfordton with his wife Lisa. They both have children and been foster parents for over 16 years. Tony has asked formerly fired (see link for story/video) RC Sheriff’s Deputy Jamie Dunn to be his Chief Deputy should he be elected.

In this social media age of politics you may possibly see or hear many different things about each candidate. I suggest if you have questions or concerns to contact the candidates with them. Make your decisions based on facts not emotion.

Who do YOU think will do the better job of trying to straighten up the immense problems of the jail and the distorted perception of the Sheriff’s Office in this county? Who do YOU think can make a positive impact on the drug problems that plague our county?

This race is important to us all. Change must come and it will regardless of how you vote. Be a positive part of that change. Get involved and please go vote!

Early voting starts Oct. 20th and ends Nov. 5th. Early voters can vote in person at any authorized early voting site in the county. (County Annex on Main St. Rutherfordton and ICC) Vote in person is Nov. 8th. On Tuesday Nov. 8th you must vote in the precinct that you are registered in.

Should Rutherford County Start Its Own Police Force?

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Deborah Keller

September 1, 2022

Back in 2020 I wrote about the reasons why Rutherford County should start their own police force.

It would take the responsibility off of the Sheriff and let him concentrate on the jail and courthouse. (The 911 Communications Center has already been moved from his office.)
It would take political affiliations out of the equation so that officers would not be afraid for their jobs every four years.
The officers and administrators would be accountable to the county but also would have the job protection of the county policies and procedures standing behind them.
It would place officer/administrative accountability in the County’s hands.
It would help to restore the public’s faith in our officers and their behavior.

Accountability has long been an issue with the Sheriff’s Office. There seem to have been way too many people acting on their own without adequate supervision and oversight.

District Attorney Ted Bell has seemingly turned a blind eye to officer incidents and never has an SBI report been revealed to the public concerning these incidents. Even if charges were warranted, D.A. Bell is the person who decides to charge the officer involved or not. During Bell’s tenure a charge was only made once when the assault of a deputy on a handcuffed inmate was captured on video. That conviction is being appealed this month.

In those law enforcement cases there has been no one that the public could turn to for answers. Cloak and dagger seem to be the operating procedure as far as the general public was concerned.

Recently we have seen more information coming out of the Sheriff’s Office and they have installed a body scanner at the jail, but really, is this too little, too late?

Sheriff Francis is leaving office this year. He is not running for sheriff again. We will have a new sheriff after the November election. There are three good men running for this office but as I have said before, are we not asking too much of one man?

The jail is absolutely out of control. It is going to take a full time commitment to try to fix it. That is hard to do if you are also trying to supervise and coordinate the officers of the Sheriff’s Department whose responsibilities cover Rutherford County. Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties started their own county police departments and left the Sheriff to run the jail and courthouse.

In 2020 I stated that it would take Legislative action to make that even a possibility. I have been researching lately and came across a Senate Bill from 1983 that specifically addresses this issue for Rutherford County.

It was a time when the Commissioners had to face the possibility that their Sheriff might be in some legal difficulty and they would need something in place in the event that he could not perform his duties. The Sheriff (at that time) got it worked out so the County did not pursue it but the Legislation still stands. It reads as follows:

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1983 SESSION

CHAPTER 271

SENATE BILL 231

AN ACT TO ALLOW THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TO ESTABLISH A COUNTY POLICE FORCE.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1. The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners is authorized to establish a county police force, to appoint a police chief, to employ other police officers, and to establish the jurisdiction of the county police force within Rutherford County, effective on or after the first Monday in December of 1986.

Sec. 2. Pursuant to this act and other provisions of law, the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners shall adopt and promulgate rules governing the establishment and operation of the Rutherford County police force. Such rules shall be filed with the clerk to the Board of County Commissioners and shall be made available for public inspection at reasonable times.

Sec. 3. (a) The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners MAY put the question of establishing a county police force to a referendum of the qualified voters of Rutherford County. The referendum shall be conducted by the Rutherford County Board of Elections under the provisions of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

(b) The questions on the ballot shall be:

“@ FOR establishment of a county police force. @ AGAINST establishment of a county police force.”

(c) If the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners CHOOSES to hold a referendum under this section and a majority of the voters vote “FOR establishment of a county police force”, then the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners shall appoint a county police force under Sections 1 and 2 of this act.

Sec. 4. This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 6th day of May, 1983.

Two very important words here, “MAY” and “CHOOSES”, mean that the Commissioners can decide on their own to implement this policy without a vote if they so choose.

The reason that this is so very important at this time is if the County is going to do this they need to decide before the November election. It would be much easier to implement this change before a new administration takes over. Not impossible mind you but easier on everybody concerned.

With all the issues that we currently have with the jail, possible corruption, excessive violence complaints, and outright negligence it is time for the county to step up and do something for the citizens of this county. There is little to no confidence of our current Sheriff’s Office by the general public. It is time to change that.

(L-R) Greg Lovelace, Bryan King, Michael Benfield, Alan Toney, David Hunt

It is time to let the good officers shine and given them all some protection from political repercussions of their own beliefs. It is time for accountability. It is time for action.

If this is something you feel it is time for, contact your County Commissioners. You can contact any of them not just your district representative and let them know. You can leave them a message at 828-287-6060 or you can email them at the following addresses:

Bryan King, Chair (bryan.king@rutherfordcountync.gov)

Alan Toney, Vice-Chair (alan.toney@rutherfordcountync.gov)5

Michael Benfield (michael.benfield@rutherfordcountync.gov)

Greg Lovelace (greg.lovelace@rutherfordcountync.gov)

David Hunt (david.hunt@rutherfordcountync.gov)

The next County Commissioner meeting is Tuesday September 6^th at 6 p.m. in the County Annex Building on 289 N.Main Street in Rutherfordton. Anyone can sign up before the meeting to speak for two (2) minutes and let them know how you feel about this.

Stand up and speak out. This is your community and your tax dollars. Let’s bring transparency, trust and accountability back to the police in our county.