Mentally Ill NC Prisoners Injured in Separate Incidents by Gary Hunter Timothy E. Helms remains paralyzed from the neck down following a confrontation with guards after he lit a fire in his cell at North Carolina’s Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville. The next day, on August 4, 2008, Helms arrived …
North Carolina: Positive Urinalysis Alone Doesn’t Sustain Marijuana Possession Charge by In a case of first impression, the North Carolina Supreme Court held on June 28, 2007, that a positive urinalysis alone was insufficient to uphold a probationer’s conviction for possession of marijuana. On August 21, 2004, defendant Darian Jaquan …
Gell v. Town of Aulander, NC, Settlement, Malicious Prosecution Wrongful Conviction, 2009 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA CAROLINA DIVISION NORTHERN DIVISION 2:05-CV-21-FL(1) CASE NO.: 2:05-CV-21-FL(1) JAMES ALAN GELL, Plaintiff, v. ) ) ) ) ) TOWN OF AULANDER, AULANDER ) POLICE …
Sheriff “Hollywood Hewett” Sentenced to 16 Months by Mark Wilson Sheriff “Hollywood Hewett” Sentenced to 16 Months by Mark Wilson Like a moth to a flame, North Carolina Sheriff Ronald Hewett had a fatal attraction to television cameras and the bright spotlight. In the end, “Hollywood Hewett’s” mistress betrayed him, …
Sexual Abuse by Prison and Jail Staff Proves Persistent, Pandemic by Gary Hunter Sexual assault, rape, indecency, deviance. These terms represent reprehensible behavior in our society. They also represent recurring themes in our nation’s prisons – not only by prisoners, but also by guards and other staff members. PLN’s August …
$25,000,000 Consent Judgment Entered Against Murderer by Caitlan Atwater, the daughter of a woman murdered by her husband, has obtained a $25,000,000 consent judgment. Atwater sued Michael Peterson after Kathleen Peterson, Atwater’s daughter from another marriage, was beaten to death by Peterson. The parties agreed to a consent judgment of …
North Carolina Audit Finds Deficiencies in 
State-Funded Youth Programs by Derick Limberg North Carolina Audit Finds Deficiencies in ?State-Funded Youth Programs by Derek S. Limburg On July 29, 2008, North Carolina’s State Auditor issued a report on the state’s oversight of juvenile delinquency prevention programs. The audit focused on three …
North Carolina DOC Pays $750,000 for Sex Between Guard and Female Prisoner by North Carolina DOC Pays $750,000 for Sex Between Guard and Female Prisoner A North Carolina Department of Corrections (NCDOC) female prisoner won a jury award of $750,000 for three acts of sexual intercourse perpetrated by a male …
Smith v. Beck, NC, 2nd Amended Complaint, Sexual Assault & Retaliation by Prison Superintendent, 2008 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA CASE NO. I:08-CV-166-TDS-WWD S. SHANE SMITH, ) ) ) ) Plaintiff, v. ) THEODIS BECK, individually and in his official capacity as Secretary for …
$1.95 Million for 18 Years Wrongful Imprisonment in North Carolina by On February 16, 2007, a North Carolina man who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit settled with the State and the City of Winston-Salem for $1,958,454. Darryl Hunt, a black man, was imprisoned in …
Applications for North Carolina County Positions Not Subject to Public Records Act by The North Carolina Supreme Court has held that applications for positions with counties are not subject to inspection and disclosure under the State’s Public Records Act. This action came after a Yadkin County Superior Court ordered the …
Former North Carolina Lawmaker’s Son Submits Highest Bid, Gets Prison Contract by David Reutter Last year, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation began examining the award of a prison pest control contract to the son of the state’s former House Speaker. The contract raised questions because the winning bid …
Prisoner's Action Affirmed Against North Carolina DOC For Negligence Leading To Amputation by The North Carolina Department of Correction (DOC) appealed the reversal of a 1989 summary judgment grant dismissing state prisoner Joe Medley's action for a DOC contracted private physician's negligence. The court affirmed the dismissal holding that the …
North Carolina Liberty Denying Treatment Program Ruled Statutorial Confinement; Prisoner's Time Credited by North Carolina State prisoner William Hearst petitioned for review of an appellate affirmation denying him 81 days credit for treatment program confinement. The affirmation was reversed and remanded to credit the 81 days, Hearst pled guilty for …
North Carolina Guard Settles Failure-to-Promote Suit for Over $155,000 by Gwendolyn Gordon, a North Carolina prison guard at Pamlico Correctional Institute sued the state Department of Corrections (DOC) officials in state and federal court for damages arising from the DOC's failure to promote her to warden. The DOC agreed to …
Contract to Purchase Medical Practice Non-Exempt Under North Carolina Public Records Act by The North Carolina Court of Appeals has held that a contract by a public hospital to purchase a medical practice is not “competitive health care information” that exempts the contract form the State’s Public Records Act. Before …
Public Duty Doctrine Discussed; North Carolina’s DHHS Has Duty to Inspect/Protect Prisoners by A North Carolina Court of Appeals has held that the State’s Department of Health and Human Services is not entitled to dismissal of a lawsuit brought on ground DHHS failed to properly train an employee in inspecting …
North Carolina Agency Liable in Jail Fire That Killed Five Prisoners by The North Carolina Supreme Court has held that the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has a statutorily imposed duty that creates a special relationship to prisoners that makes it liable in a negligence lawsuit. At …
North Carolina Execution Laws Trump Medical Board’s Ethics Declaration by John Dannenberg North Carolina Execution Laws Trump Medical Board's Ethics Declaration by John E. Dannenberg In September 2007, the Wake County, North Carolina Superior Court ruled that because executions are not "medical procedures," a state law that requires a physician …
Bivens Action Inapplicable to Private Prison Employees by The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that individual employees of a privately-operated prison are not subject to Eighth Amendment liability under a Bivens action. Before the Court was the defendants' appeal of a North Carolina federal district court's denial of …
