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News Roundup

As the PBS Newshour reports, this week the United States Department of the Interior released the first volume of an investigative report that examines the federal Indian boarding school system that operated from 1819 to 1969 and visited widespread abuse upon children of Native communities.  A second volume of the report is expected to investigate burial sites at the schools, where thousands of students died from illness, accidental injuries, and abuse.  Keep reading for more news.

Firing Lawful.  Nearly two years ago, the News Roundup noted a disturbing incident in Wilmington where three veteran Wilmington police officers were caught on dash-cam footage having violent racist conversations with each other while on duty.  All three officers, Michael ‘Kevin’ Piner, Jesse E. Moore II, and James ‘Brian’ Gilmore, each of whom had been on the force since the late 1990’s, were fired from the department.

The Wilmington Star-News reported this week that Superior Court Judge R. Kent Harrell issued a ruling this week affirming the Wilmington Civil Service Commission’s decision to fire Gilmore because the commission was within its statutory authority and was made the decision using a lawful procedure.  Gilmore had appealed his dismissal, alleging in part that it infringed on his First Amendment rights.

Fingerprinting.  WSOC-TV reports that Mecklenburg County is transitioning from an appointment system to a first-come first -served system for fingerprinting people for pistol purchase and concealed carry permits.  The move comes after a superior court judge issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the appointment system, which was associated with long delays in issuing permits.

Pay Increase.  There have been several stories from around the state in recent months of pay increases for law enforcement officers as law enforcement agencies face unprecedented staffing challenges.  The latest increase is in Guilford County, where Sheriff Danny Rogers announced that part-time Detention and Deputy Sheriffs now will be paid $25 per hour, which amounts to a 25% raise.

Pay Error.  WRAL reports that the North Carolina Department of Public Safety is asking for its money back after it miscalculated bonuses for hundreds of probation and parole officers last month and overpaid them by an average of $5,400.  A spokesman for the department said that a coding error related to calculations of pay for Chief Probation/Parole Officers caused the overpayment and that officials are working on a plan where affected employees can pay the money back over time.

Daycare Drug Bust.  The Fayetteville Observer reports that a man who worked for the U.S. Post Office and operated a state-licensed daycare out of his home was convicted by a federal jury this week of armed drug trafficking charges arising from his sale of drugs from the home.  Reshod Jamar Everett, who was alleged to have made millions of dollars from the drug sales, will be sentenced later this year.

Fatal Wreck Plea.  The Wilmington Star-News reports that Thomas Willoughby Jr. pleaded guilty in New Hanover County court this week to second-degree murder and other charges arising from a fatal wreck that he caused in 2019 while fleeing from police.  Willoughby was speeding at up to 90 miles an hour while fleeing from officers responding to an armed robbery report when he collided with a vehicle driven by Sean Alan Evans.  Evans was ejected from his vehicle and died.