Claude Keever Receives Plea Deal for Multiple Sex Offenses Against Children

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Deborah Keller

**Opinion**

10-16-2022

Original articles concerning this case.

”WLOS: Feb. 1, 2021: On July 20, 2020, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office received a report alleging that Claude Linden Keever had committed the offense of taking Indecent Liberties with a Child, NCGS§ 14-202.1, a felony crime. Upon receipt of this report, the Rutherford County Criminal Investigation Division contacted the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) and requested they join the investigation that same day. Though not all felony crimes initiate a partnership with the NC SBI, the Captain of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, Jamie Keever, is related to Claude Linden Keever.

Through the joint investigation of the initial report that was received on July 20, it was discovered that Claude Linden Keever had taken, or attempted to take, indecent liberties with at least three additional persons. These individuals were juveniles at the time that the acts occurred, however, they are now adults.

On October 12, 2020, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the NCSBI, secured warrants for the arrest of Claude Linden Keever. He was charged with four counts of taking Indecent Liberties with a Child and one count of attempting to take Indecent Liberties with a Child. Claude Linden Keever was arrested and a secured bond of $240,000.00 was set. He will have his first appearance in the Court of Rutherford County on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.”

“A Rutherfordton man has been arrested and charged with multiple sex offenses against minors from as far back as the 1980s.

Claude Linden Keever, 85, has been charged with multiple sex offenses against minors that occurred from the 1980s to the present in both Polk and Rutherford Counties in North Carolina.

In Polk County, Keever is charged with 2 counts of felony indecent liberties with a child and one count of first-degree statutory sex offense. His next court date in Polk County is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.”

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Release

January 14, 2021 ·

Arrest and Request For Information

“Claude Linden Keever, 85, of Rutherfordton, NC has been charged with multiple sex offenses against minors that occurred from the 1980’s to the present. Keever currently faces felony charges in both Polk and Rutherford Counties in North Carolina.

This matter is an ongoing investigation involving the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the NC State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI). Anyone with any information pertaining to Keever and the investigations is asked to come forward to speak with investigators. Due to the sensitive nature of these types of investigations no further information can be released at this time.”

On Thursday Oct 12, 2022 Claude Keever finally had his hearing for indecent liberties with a child. He had six (6) counts against him in this particular case. DA Ted Bell offered him a plea deal to plead guilty to three (3) charges with sentencing at the discretion of the court. Sentencing was 12-15 months for each charge to run concurrent to each other with credit for 84 days already served. As of now it looks like he will serve nine (9) months and then will be released without supervision per Judge Tommy Davis.

This case has been before DA Ted Bell since 2020. He has put it off, continued it and otherwise let this predator free to roam among children that he could victimize without any supervision. A “no contact with children” order was issued as a condition of his bond but predators such as this often find ways around those.

This man has been sexually abusing children we are told since 1980. No one but him really knows how long this has gone on. People told others, people in charge knew, yet he was shielded from prosecution.

Why is the question that most people ask? No one wants to believe that these predators live among us. They are often people who have “standing” in the community and are respected by most. There is always an explanation for anything that might come up and of course all the children involved are always making “stories” up for attention.

People actually feel sorry for the predator as he portrays himself as the victim to others. People often say “Oh he is such a good husband and father, such a good man in the community, he can’t possibly be connected with abuse.” You see well-respected people on social media congratulating him on things like a great hole in one at a local golf course. Unknowingly linking their approval of him to his victims.

As a victim you feel hopeless. No one listens, no one believes and worst of all no one does anything about it. I know, as I was a victim of such a man. Not Keever but someone like him. Someone I had no protection from. When I finally came forward his family and friends did not believe me. He was protected by his other friends/family in law enforcement much like it appears Keever was.

I realize as an adult it is horrendous to think someone you know could do such a thing. So horrendous that you turn away from it, but the victims cannot turn away. It is their world. It is a wound that will always ache deep within them. It is an almost unforgivable sin that forever alters their lives and the lives of those who love them.

This man Claude Keever has been committing these sins against children for over forty plus years and has been shielded and protected by very powerful people who I am sure had their own reasons for doing so. Some are family and some are friends but all were complacent in allowing these things to continue.

A very wise person once told me that on Judgment Day everyone had to answer for the sin of omission when they stood by and did nothing while someone abused a child. There are a lot of people who will be surprised on Judgment Day when the subject of Claude Keever comes up and they have to answer for all the many who were affected by the things they turned a blind eye to. DA Ted Bell in particular as he was directly responsible for allowing this man to continue to prey on children. I cannot fathom how he could allow such abuse to continue for so long on his watch.

The abusers like to say “well maybe it was just this one time, or maybe they drank too much and they were just not themselves”but this is far darker and deeper than that. This behavior is never cured. It is not brought on by alcohol or circumstance. It is a deep sickness that lurks in their heart and mind forever. There is no rehabilitation for these type of monsters. If not incarcerated they need to be watched every second of the day if around children. There have been many examples where child predators say they always have the desire to have sex with children they just fear the consequences too much so they try to abstain.

The victims of this man have been crying out for justice for over forty plus years but nothing was done until someone finally had enough guts and power to push the authorities to finally charge him. It is beyond tragic. He has his plea deal now and will serve how ever much time as the authorities see fit of his sentence. He is 87 years old but make no mistake he is still a threat to children as long as he breathes outside of incarceration.

Is this justice for his victims? No, but at least it is a start to their process of acceptance and healing.

We expect our DA to protect us from the criminals not shield them from justice like he did his friend former Judge Randy Poole. How many others he has turned a blind eye to or just continued their cases for more than six years? Why would he do these things……Why????

Claude Keever will eventually die and it would be nice to say the evil within him will die then too but unfortunately he has spread his evil and effected so many that it will continue to live for years and years. The effects of this are generational. Again, I know. It is not a fraternity you want to belong to, believe me.

I am writing strongly about this because I feel strongly about it. It goes on all too frequently in our society. Even the former Sheriff of Polk County Chris Abel was guilty of it (see link) and was protected for years by his friends and co-workers. He ALSO took a plea deal (for NO jail time) when it finally went to court, supported by his deputies in the courtroom. Heartbreaking…..

We as a society have to do better by our children. We have to be more aware and alert. We have to listen and investigate no matter who the accused is. Our law enforcement must do better, have better training and learn to recognize the signs, and there is no excuse for any D.A. to delay by the time these cases get to him/her.

Say a prayer (if so inclined) for the victims of Claude Keever and for the victims of all who have been preyed upon by this type of evil. Hopefully they can come to terms with their trauma and accept it as a part of their life they cannot change and move on from it.

There is no justice when it comes to these acts. You cannot restore innocence and faith in a child so damaged. A sin committed against someone that has no restitution is considered one of the gravest things one can do. Anyone who knowingly protects these people is just as guilty.

Claude Keever, only YOU know how many child victims you have truly traumatized. Judgment Day is coming for you soon. Actions have consequences and yours will be dire for sure.

Searching For Truth…..The District Attorney Race

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Deborah Keller

April 4, 2022

The District Attorney is the lynchpin of our justice system here in Rutherford County as well as in McDowell County. Many people, however, do not understand exactly what their duties are or how much power they wield.

Prosecutors (District Attorney officers) are the most powerful officials in the American criminal justice system. They control the direction and outcome of all criminal cases, particularly through their charging, prosecution and plea-bargaining decisions.

Because punishment for a crime is largely determined by the sentence that lawmakers have established in the criminal code, the prosecutor often has more power over how much punishment someone convicted of a crime receives than the judge who does the actual sentencing.

In addition to deciding how to proceed on criminal charges, prosecutors in North Carolina also:

Make recommendations about bond and other pretrial release conditions.
Negotiate plea arrangements with defense attorneys.
Inform victims about the steps in the court process.
Refer/approve cases for diversion programs, for example specialty courts for people whose charges are related to mental illness or substance use.
Review cases involving misconduct or use of force by police and decide if charges should be filed.
Coordinate and consult with victim advocates in sensitive cases, like domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.
Refer cases to the Grand Jury for indictment, and at times special investigation.

District attorneys have significant decision-making power and the decisions they make have a big impact on the community. They can decide whether criminal charges are brought to court, which cases are dismissed or diverted from court, and to some extent, the sanctions that people convicted of crimes will face.

Basically they decide who gets charged and for what.

One of the issues historically with this type of power is that certain persons strive hard to subvert it. The longer you hold an office of power the harder it becomes to continue to fight these influences. This is one overwhelming argument for term limits in elected offices throughout the country.

The District Attorney’s office is supposed to be the watchdog of the police as well as the general public. When an ADA subpoenaed the sheriff for trial testimony, Bell canceled it. The missing items in the evidence room, jail deaths, overdoses, and mistreatment of inmates by law enforcement remain critical, but seemingly not handled with transparency for public awareness. However, the lack of transparency is evident in how communication is handled to the people that the law enforcement departments and judicial system supposedly serve.

If not for media coverage of local events, the knowledge of a man’s death at the RC airport, the suspicious death of Van Buskirk at former Judge Randy Pool’s home, and the deputy shooting of Ethan Calton in the back at close range may not have been made public.

Here in Rutherford County during Ted Bell’s administration we have had multiple issues with incidents involving our Sherriff’s Office where silence seems to be the preferred method of communication from the District Attorney’s Office. To the point that people have actually had to take them (The DA’s office) to court to get them to release body cam information that they were entitled to by law and even then their office altered evidence and had to admit to that in court.

The most prominent recent issue is with former Judge Randy Pool. This man committed so many ethically incorrect actions that it is almost unbelievable. It is a known fact (admitted by both Pool and Ted Bell) that he lied to everyone about what was going on. Other judges, court personnel and Ted Bell knew what was going on. A staff member of Mr. Bell’s office actually went to him about it and it was never properly addressed.

A transfer of a court officer was arranged when she complained of sexual overtures made by Pool. Did any of her superiors report these incidents or was it swept under the rug?

These mishandled incidents by themselves are so unbelievably wrong. The Assistant District Attorney was harassed at work, reported it to her superior, and he ignored it.

Now Bell has an entire page on his campaign site devoted to why he did not charge Randy Pool with any wrongdoing. At no time, however, has he condemned Pool’s actions.

This is a quote from his page: “When Pool received the extortion demands from Tierce he called a captain with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office and asked if he would go talk to Tierce and tell her it is wrong to try and extort money from a judge. Pool’s request to the captain was improper – Pool should have filed a proper complaint with law enforcement. However, it is not a crime in North Carolina to ask a law enforcement officer to explain to someone that what they are doing is a crime, regardless of whether the person making the request is a regular citizen or a judge.”

“The captain and another detective interviewed Pool the next morning to gather information about the alleged extortion. Pool stated in that interview that he and Tierce communicated via Facebook but falsely stated they had not communicated by text, when in fact they had.”

If a “citizen” makes a request that is one thing but when a judge, who has a great deal of power, sends law enforcement to your house that is a completely different matter and everyone knows that. This does leave the question of why has Mr. Bell taken a totally “hands off” policy towards former Judge Pool?

What does this say about the current environment or social culture at the courthouse?

Who else is involved in these types of behaviors that we don’t know about?

Truth is a hard thing to pin down especially when it seems to be convoluted by those who were elected to be in charge. Last Saturday Ted Bell said he had to wait six (6) years to bring a woman to trial who was found innocent because her son, who initiated the charges, was too fragile to testify. Yet during that time the Army thought the witness was stable enough to sign him up and give him a weapon. Judgement call…….hummmm??

Additionally, there is a backlog of untried and unresolved cases of many years.

For example, in the infamous Matthew Fenner and Word of Faith Fellowship (WoFF) assault cases, presiding Judge Pope at the mistrial conclusion of the only case prosecuted (by then ADA Garland Byers, Jr.) ordered District Attorney Ted Bell to retry that case as soon as possible.

In the courtroom Bell replied he could put it on the trial calendar for the next week. It’s now been SIX YEARS and that retrial still has not been put on the trial schedule.

Meanwhile the other WoFF related defendants’ cases have remained in limbo as well. The right to a speedy trial seems at stake.

The only thing I can say about it is if you are happy with the way things have been for the past eight (8) years here in the courthouse in Rutherford and McDowell County, then vote for Ted Bell. If you have questions or concerns about anything, then vote for Krinn Evans, an experienced, respected criminal attorney and successful firm manager. It does seem it is time for a change.

Do remember that no Democrat or Unaffiliated candidates have registered to run for the office of the district attorney. The Republican primary on May 17 will decide who our next DA is. If you want your vote to count for District Attorney, you will have to vote on the Republican ticket in the primary.

All Republicans and Unaffiliated voters can vote during the primary on the Republican ballot. Doing so does not affect your status during the general election in November.