Part 1. $$$Multi-Million Jury Awards Breaking Counties Across NC!!! Insurance Refuse to pay when County Officials Do Illegal Acts!! County DSS and School Boards Major Culprits!!! Cities Next??? “I told you so” report and opinions by Robert A. Williams

Folks, I know this article will be taking twists and turns and end up pretty long, so let’s get started with a very recent legal issue that is just now developing due to recent illegal acts by the Cleveland County School Board regarding the botched sale of the old Central School in Kings Mountain.

The sale of real estate owned by local school boards worth more than $30,000 (Such as the Old North Shelby School and now the old Central School in Kings Mountain is well covered by North Carolina Law. I mean WELL covered. So WELL covered that one would never expect there would be problems. And there never are problems, unless there is corruption involved. Which seems to happen a lot in Cleveland County, North Carolina. And, all the time with the Cleveland County School Board with Chairman Robert “Luke” Queen and Rodney Fitch, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries and Greg Taylor.

In the case of the old Central School in Kings Mountain:
1.The first thing the school board has to do is decide that the property is of no more use for educational purposes and the property should be disposed of.
2.The School Board then has to offer the property to the Cleveland County Commissioners at a fair market price. Only if the Commissioners decline to purchase the property can the property be disposed of by other means.
3.A method of disposal is chosen by the School Board. The “Method” chosen was by Public Auction.
4.The Public Auction method is well described in NC Law.
5.The School Board advertises the property for auction. The bidding process has a deadline, When that deadline comes due, the bids are opened and the highest bidder is notified that he (or she) is the highest bidder and a 5% payment to the Schools is required. Then there is an upset bid process that follows. Anybody can upset the bid by offering not less than 10% more than the highest bidder. The upset process continues until there are no more upset bids provided. The highest bidder then pays the full amount bid, minus the deposits.
6.The property is titled over to the winning bidder.

In this case, the highest bid was $750,000 offered by Mike Brown. Mr. Brown was notified by CCS that he was the high bidder and that he had to provide a 5% deposit of $37,500 within a certain period of time. Mr. Brown obtained a Cashiers Check of $37,500 made out to CCS and hand-delivered that check immediately to CCS.

This is where the CCS corruption kicked-in.

Others, possibly considering themselves more “worthy” than Mike Brown, (I usually call these high-falutin sob’s the Country Club “Good Ole Boys”) and likely someone who submitted a low-ball bid in an attempt to “steal” the Central School Property for themselves in the first place and then made some phone calls to certain persons at CCS or even to School Board members to solicit (bribe) the school board into somehow kicking out Mr. Brown’s high bid.

The next thing that happens is CCS sends Mr. Mike Brown’s certified check for $37,500 back to Mr. Brown and the School Board votes (at their November, 2021 School Board meeting) to illegally “Table” the sale of the Central School to Mr. Brown until the January 10, 2022 School Board meeting.

Who knows what conspiracy (a felony-criminal act) was going on during this time? But, when January 10, 2022 rolls around, Gastonia Attorney Doug Arthurs (Mike Brown’s Attorney) shows up at the School Board meeting and signs up for Citizens Participation.

My article No-Nonsense Lawyer Tames School Board Rogue Republicans!!! At January 10, 2022 CCS School Board Meeting!!! Published January 12, 2022 describes this event. Scroll on back and re-read that article.

At the January 10th 2022 School Board meeting, after a closed session with the school board attorney, the school board votes to accept Mr. Browns high bid of $750,000 for the old Central School in Kings Mountain-Subject to a belated upset bid process!!! And NEVER explaining why Mr. Brown’s bid was tabled for two months.

Editor’s Note #1: North Carolina law has no provision for tabling the acceptance of a high bid in the Public Auction process and then restarting the upset bid process two months later.

Editor’s Note #2: North Carolina law does have alternative provisions for disposing of surplus school property (only) as follows:
Provided, however, a city may dispose of real property of any value and personal property valued at thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) or more for any one item or group of similar items by private negotiation and sale where (i) said real or personal property is significant for its architectural, archaeological, artistic, cultural or historical associations, or significant for its relationship to other property significant for architectural, archaeological, artistic, cultural or historical associations, or significant for its natural, scenic or open condition; and (ii) said real or personal property is to be sold to a nonprofit corporation or trust whose purposes include the preservation or conservation of real or personal properties of architectural, archaeological, artistic, cultural, historical, natural or scenic significance; and (iii) where a preservation agreement or conservation agreement as defined in G.S. 121-35 is placed in the deed conveying said property from the city to the nonprofit corporation or trust. Said nonprofit corporation or trust shall only dispose of or use said real or personal property subject to covenants or other legally binding restrictions which will promote the preservation or conservation of the property, and, where appropriate, secure rights of public access.

NOW, the corruption and criminal conspiracy has become apparent. Read on for the proof. And I know how much my readers enjoy facts and truth.

The January 26th, 2022 edition of the Kings Mountain Herald has TWO front page (above the fold) articles titled:
1.New group submits bid for Central School. A group called Central School Renovation Partners, LLC, organized by John McGill filed for a Limited Liability Corporation with the NC Secretary of State on January 18, 2022 and offered the second upset bid on the Central School in Kings Mountain. Many months after the School Board decided to sell the Central School at Public Auction. Which was way past time for the School Board to change from their Public Auction process. Legally anyway. But when corruption runs rampant, it is never too late to lie, cheat and steal.
2.City Declined purchase of Central School; current bid is $866,300
Both of these articles contain proof of the crime and corruption that has become the MO of the Cleveland County School Board.

But, before we go there, let’s remember that:
The School Board, in 2021, voted to hold a Public Auction to dispose of the Central School in Kings Mountain. Such a vote clearly shows that CCS did NOT vote to sell or dispose of the Central School property in Kings Mountain by any other process. (Such as Historic preservation, etc.)
The illegal and bad acts by the Cleveland County School Board have damaged Mr. Mike Brown financially. Caused unnecessary delay with his project, whatever it may have been. And restricted, diminished or eliminated Mr. Brown’s future income and revenue generation for his planned project. All recoverable under Tort law in North Carolina.
Mr. Brown has been denied equal treatment under the law as required by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. Excellent grounds for a Federal Lawsuit against Cleveland County Schools because the Cleveland County School Board has illegally flip-flopped in mid-stream. From one law to another to benefit the high-falutin Good Ole Boys.
Also, the Kings Mountain Herald articles mention some communications between CCS and the Cleveland Community College. Just like the dubious sale of the old North Shelby School to Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (run by the Rev. Dr. Lamont Littlejohn) School Board Chairman Robert “Luke” Queen’s finger prints are all over this present controversy.

So, folks, this is exactly where we stand this very day with the CCS disposal of the old Central School in Kings Mountain. Mr. Mike Brown is the only person playing by the rules and the law, although called a “bad character” by those Kings Mountain folks who appear to be trying to do crooked stuff. And the “Holier than Thou” impersonators and hypocrites (including the School Board Rogue Republicans and the Central School Renovation Partners) appear to be the crooks and liars here. The “real” bad actors in the bunch. But, ain’t it always like that in Cleveland County.

So, what will happen next?

My prediction is the stupid games will be played a bit longer by Luke Queen and the School Board. Mr. Mike Brown and his No-Nonsense Attorney Doug Arthurs will watch and wait for the right time. And then pop lawsuits against the CCS School Board in both State and Federal Courts. And, as always, us taxpayers will end up paying the Jury verdict or settlement in favor of Mr. Mike Brown.

Stay tuned folks, for the other parts of this article that will be forthcoming very soon. Hopefully all y’all will wake up and realize these kinds of messes are all our fault for electing crooks and liars to elected offices in the first place.