CRIME REPORT

PERMANENT RECORD

When Durham, NC held their last election in 2005, 17 people ran for mayor, 8 of them had criminal records. This news was reported by the Raleigh News & Observer. Why is this important? Well, the criminal candidates in Durham were by and large scam artists, child molesters and one even had a fictitious name. Isn't that important? Shouldn't a candidate's personal history be an important part of their candidacy?

If a candidate is convicted of assault or DWI, shouldn't that be an important factor in determining whether or not you vote for a particular person or not? Candidates criminal history, past, present, or future transgressions of the law tell us exactly who is really running for office. Candidates talk a lot about family values, but suppose your candidate, the great proponent of family values, has had a domestic violence protective order issued against him? Wouldn't that, shouldn't that be at the very least cause for concern?

Suppose Katherine Moore would have blown a .18, twice the legal limit and have been convicted of DWI, wouldn't that have been nails to her coffin? Wasn't that the whole point of arresting her in the first place? But suppose you have a write in candidate who was convicted of DWI?

Now I'm not saying these people are to be shunned or run out of town, I'm saying when you have a choice, wouldn't it be prudent to investigate those with a questionable background? I'm sure all these people who have various "lapses in judgment" with the law are good people ... to someone. I mean isn't it possible that some people, family, Nurse Anesthetists, Satan, think Thomas Wright is a good guy?

Hey, I've made my share of poor judgment calls, none I'm willing to admit, but then I'm not running for office, maybe if I did run for office I'd come right out up front and admit my sins. Then again maybe I'd be foolish enough to think nobody would notice...or care.

There is something to those who admit their sins, Jesus said admit your sins and you are forgiven. So when I watched Marion Jones tearfully admit her sins today I felt so much sorrow for her because I know Marion. I've worked with her several times. I worked with her on a Nike commercial where she played a DJ calling on fellow athletes to stop committing crimes, she said that they OWED their fans that much. Marion knows children, the naive kids who for some reason or another worship these athletes and with all the crimes of assaults, drunk driving, dope.... no wonder high school athletics is no different than the programs in professional sports.

In an effort to discover who had what skeleton in which closet we have found that several candidates in New Hanover County have criminal records, a few of them have committed serious offenses, serious enough to warrant concern. Most however have nothing to be embarrassed about.

Wilmington's Candidates for Mayor

Bill Saffo - traffic offenses
Justin Lanasa - convicted of injury to real property along with a judge's order not to assault the victim. Lanasa made claim he was out of town during the incident and could not have caused the $20 damage to a property line fence.
Harper Peterson - a traffic violation

Wilmington's Candidates for Council

Jeff Kohl- forgot to check on the pressure of his boat's fire extinguisher

Carolina Beach Write-in Candidate for Mayor

Ray Rothrock a quick look his record revealed a conviction of DWI in 2005

Carolina Beach Candidate for Council

Michael Kopitopoulous - sold beer by mistake to someone who was underage and received a prayer for judgement for his mistake

Kure Beach Candidate

Barry Nelder- drunk driving in 1987, Nelder reported that the incident sobered him up and he has not had a drink in nearly 20 years.

Wrightsville Beach Candidates for Town Board of Aldermen

Chandler Madray- arrested in 1998 for urinating in public and drinking in public, among other misdemeanors

Bill Blair- forgot to count his life vests on his boat and was charged accordingly

But there are two candidates whose personal criminal history stand out as being in need of serious explanation.

Wrightsville Beach candidate for Alderman, Brent Futch has a long history of writing bad checks, these aren't life sustaining needs these checks were written for these are checks for thousands of dollars spanning several years. He has even been on probation because of these convictions. Futch also has charges of Hit and Run, No Insurance, Trespassing, DWI and giving or selling alcohol to an underage person. I was unable to reach Mr. Futch with two separate phone calls to the number listed with the Board of Elections. These calls were made the Friday and Saturday prior to this posting. (UPDATE TO STORY: In an article with the Lumina News Futch denies being convicted of giving or selling alcohol to a minor. My notes show a conviction in 1992. I will recheck my research when I am able to do so.) (UPDATE TO STORY: MORE UPDATES - In an email from Mr. Futch, he claims he has a certified copy of his criminal record showing no convictions for selling or giving alcohol to a minor. )

The prize for the most embarrassing criminal history has to go to Carolina Beach candidate for Mayor, current Mayor Pro-Tem, Alan Gilbert who had been convicted of a 1993 assault on a female but has also been the recipient of a domestic violence restraining order in a dispute that, in the victim's own handwriting, stated that she was prevented from leaving the house and that he ripped the phone off the wall when she attempted to call 911. The 1997 Domestic Violence Civil Order also states that Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Gilbert had committed a similar, previous act of violence against the same woman in an unreported event prior to 1997.

How do you defend against such things in a political climate where previous sins not only come back to haunt you, but are used as weapons against you. So why risk such exposure and potential for embarrassment when you, better than anyone, know what evil lurks behind closed doors? Perhaps it is self righteousness, perhaps the offenders are comfortable knowing that Jesus and all who love them have forgiven them. I mean it's not like they were caught yesterday in a men's bathroom with their pants down around their ankles. But it is on their "permanent record".

I guess let he who is without sin cast the first pitch, batter up!

HELP YOURSELF

When PETA employees Andrew B. Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, and Adria J. Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk snuck around looking for dumpsters to dispose of their newly euthanized cats and dogs, they broke the littering law. When they went from shelter to shelter, picking up strays, telling people they were going to take care of these animals, and instead choked the life out of them by injecting them with a lethal dose of Phenobarbital they committed several felonies of obtaining property by false pretense and animal cruelty.

We have all long suspected of PETA and other such "helpful" groups of hypocrisy. The sad facts are that there is an overwhelming number of abandoned and sick animals in our country that face a life of pain and suffering no matter what we want to do for them. For a huge majority of them the best they can hope for is a quick and peaceful death.

Many people profess to care about life, be it animal or human and yet we often times find hypocrisy when we investigate into the bowels of the groups or agencies. Churches fill on Sundays and the congregation promise to love each other as we love ourselves and yet too often we learn that youth leaders and ministers molest our children and elders and deacons beat their wives and kids. Government agencies tell us that they are here to help and we see that their help, many times, is a false hope or a road to disaster, or the help is more of a fat, no-bid contract given to some political crony.

How is it that so many people fill our jails and prisons when so many say they have love in their hearts? Are children born bad? Are they destined to turn rotten even though they are nurtured and well provided for?

Or are these adults that have long lengthy criminal histories our nation's abandoned and stray? Is there a PETA out there telling us that they will be taken care of and will we instead one day find out that they are ending up in a dumpster? You have to wonder.

You have to wonder why little is being done to fight our war on drugs, you also have to wonder why proper health care and education is so hard to come by for so many of our young and people like the couple in Ohio that place children in cages do not suffer stern justice. You have to wonder like I do when so much is given, so little seem benefit.

Just last week the Nation was told that a (false) terrorist plot was aimed against the city of New York, and later we were told that the rich and powerful were told about this threat first, days earlier. Was Neil Boortz, the nationally syndicated talk show host, right when he said that that is the way it should be? He said, "who better to save than the rich... what can the poor offer us?

I was raised to believe, women and children first, every man for himself, so I would have to disagree. But PETA may have put a face on the phrase, "I am with the Government and I am here to help."

So if it is the Department of Homeland Security, or Social Services, or FEMA or PETA or any other agency knocking comes to your door offering help, you might be better off on your own...with a gun.