Now, Fast forward to late 2018 and early 2019.
Around late 2018 and early 2019, I learned that CCDSS Director Karen Ellis-Prichard was retiring and Jane Shooter was appointed Interim Director by the Cleveland County Department of Social Services Board. I was immediately enraged and infuriated that Ellis-Prichard, Jane Shooter and others that were fully involved in the child abuse, murder and cover-up regarding the death of 2 ½ year old Jodice Peeler in the mid 1990’s as noted above and were now in very senior leadership positions at the Cleveland County Department of Social Services. I began writing a series of many Citizens For Good Government articles in February, 2019 reminding Citizens, County Commissioners, DSS Board members and others of the long history of unethical and illegal acts at the Cleveland County Department of Social Services.
An article published February 28, 2019 condensed and paraphrased my original first article printed in 1994 regarding the murder of 2 ½ year old Jodice Peeler. That article is enclosed as Attachment No 1. The Title is “Digging Up Bones.” And, I am literally recommending digging up the bones of Jodice Peeler for a forensic autopsy for possible prosecution of those DSS employees who, I believe, covered up the child abuse and murder of young Jodice Peeler.
Attachment 2 is an article where Rev. Dante Murphy speaks out about various injustices and lawsuits. See Paragraph 4 for information regarding Rev. Murphy’s first Lawsuit against Cleveland County DSS
I published an article on March 13, 2019 titled Why I Recommend Rev. Dante Murphy for DSS Director that went into detail my reasoning for recommending the DSS director’s job be awarded to Rev. Murphy. That article is included as Attachment 3 to this document.
Of immediate importance as to why I have written this particular article is this:
1. Rev. Murphy has filed a Second Lawsuit, Murphy V. Cleveland County that alleges job discrimination and Retaliation.
2. On the second page of Rev. Murphy’s Complaint are allegations against Commissioner Doug Bridges that developed from a conversation that I had with Commissioner Bridges on March 19, 2019 related to the organized retaliation against Rev. Murphy that I eventually relayed to Rev. Murphy.
3. The high dollar lawyer representing the Commissioners, DSS and Doug Bridges have filed Motion to “Seal” discovery documents as well as to Dismiss Rev. Murphy’s second Lawsuit. I consider such actions as a continuation of cover-ups coming out of the Cleveland County DSS, that includes the County Commissioners and the new DSS Advisory Board. An impediment to finding truth and justice in this matter.
4. The high dollar lawyer representing the DSS, Commissioners and Doug Bridges has included in her “reasons” for the Judge to dismiss Rev. Murphy’s lawsuit a statement that Rev. Murphy did not include the exact time and date of my conversation with Doug Bridges. I intend to provide that information as well as a detailed and accurate description of the words that were said.
5. My information may become critical in allowing the Judge sufficient information to deny the Motion to Dismiss and to continue the process of finding the truth and justice in this matter.
Now let’s go to the evening of March 19th, 2019, right after the Commissioners Meeting and in front of the Commissioners Chambers on East Marion Street in Shelby, North Carolina. That Commissioner’s Meeting started at 6:00 PM and was relatively long as the agenda was full. And also included a closed session.
As previously stated, I had published an article just days before (March 13, 2019) recommending that Rev. Dante Murphy be selected as the next Director of the Cleveland County Depart of Social Services. My March 13, 2019 article had been personally sent by email to ALL the Cleveland County Commissioners, The County Manager, County HR Director Allison Mauney, Assistant County Manager as well as to DSS Advisory Board members that I had Email addresses for–Danny Blanton and Mary Accor. AND Interim DSS Director Jane Shooter. The article was also sent to the Shelby Star Editor and Political Smackdown media members. It was no secret who I recommended for the CCDSS Director’s position.
After the DSS Meeting was adjourned I spoke to various persons and just happened to go down the steps and out the front door with Commissioner Doug Bridges. As always in such a situation, I am discussing the matters at hand, the qualifications of Rev. Dante Murphy for the CCDSS Director’s position. As we walked through the front door and took a couple steps outside, Commissioner Bridges stopped and turned directly toward me. Commissioner Bridges stated, “I want to ask YOU one question. Would YOU hire a person that had sued you?”
My response was immediate. I said to Commissioner Bridges in no uncertain terms “Rev. Murphy won that lawsuit. Rev. Murphy was in the ‘right.’ He had sworn depositions from CCDSS employees that they had been directed to do unethical and illegal acts by DSS leadership against Rev. Murphy and NOBODY was disciplined over the matter.” I went on to remind Commissioner Bridges that such an idea as NOT hiring someone that had sued you “especially when they were in the ‘right’ was “unethical and illegal and retaliation.” I suggested that such retaliation “better not happen or YOU could get into trouble over it.” Others came along and our short conversation between Commissioner Bridges and myself ended. And we all went our separate ways.
I expected Commissioner Bridges to heed that good advice and see to it that there was no element of retaliation included in the coming selection of the CCDSS Director. Therefore, I said nothing more about this to anyone for a long while. However, in several passing conversations with new CCDSS Advisory Board Member Danny Blanton “wondering” how the CCDSS Director’s selection process was coming along and also knowing that Danny Blanton was fully aware that I recommended Rev. Murphy for that position, Blanton would only say “They don’t like him. He sued them.”
As Danny Blanton was a new member of the DSS Advisory Board and new to their ways, I didn’t think much of his comments stated above. However, as the retaliation and smear campaign progressed against Rev. Murphy and my articles reminding the public of the sordid past history of Jane Shooter and her CCDSS partners, support for Shooter waned and the search for a CCDSS Director widened. I concluded that Rev. Murphy was being ostracized and retaliated against to the point that he was not ever going to be fairly considered for the Director’s position. Or, any other position, no matter what. When I learned that Rev. Murphy was seriously considering a second lawsuit against the Commissioners and CCDSS, I decided to tell Rev. Murphy about my March 19th, 2019 conversation with Commissioner Doug Bridges. Rev. Murphy ended up adding my conversation with Commissioner Doug Bridges into his lawsuit.
