Editor’s Note: According to the various sources of news in Cleveland County and elsewhere: The Charlotte Observer, TV News, Political Smackdown, The KM Herald, The Shelby Shopper, The Shelby Star, the HOLY BIBLE (KJV), Facebook, Social Media, Aristotle and Dante Alighieri ’s writings; and Robert A’s own personal observations, research, conclusions and reports:
GOD is DEAD here in Cleveland County.
Killed (figuratively) by the hands (bad and corrupt decisions) of the “tax and spend” CC Commissioners, the Shelby City Council, the CCS School Board and others who have abandoned truth and justice to partner-up CC with all kinds of $in, vice, graft and corruption. From the Casino to the Courthouse, From Drugs and Alcohol, and everywhere in between. (Like all the leaking roofs at CCS Schools) And, Robert A can prove it beyond a shadow of doubt to the satisfaction of any reasonable and unbiased person.
First, the most recent news flashes:
1., 2024 Shelby Shopper, front page article reports:
“It is Official -Uptown Shelby Social District now in full swing.”
The article describes a LARGE area in the center of Uptown Shelby. In particular, the article states that an ordinance passed by the Shelby City Council will allow “alcoholic beverages” to be served “beyond the sidewalks” and “encourages” patrons to walk in and out of businesses, apparently with alcoholic Beveridge’s in hand and drinking along the way in this newly created Social District. To “enjoy their alcoholic Beveridge’s” during certain hours. The Social District business hours are “Monday through Sunday (every day of the week). 10AM-10PM.” Note that the Shopper article also includes a map of the social district that includes several Uptown Churches. Also note that the times that alcoholic beverages are sold includes Sunday Morning Church Services and Wednesday night Church Prayer Meeting times. You can read the article in full and decide for yourself whether or not the Shelby City Council was crazy to vote for such as this. Or, art just plain stupid.
However, one thing is crystal clear, this is NOT the kind of work that the Lord GOD, as described in the Bible, would approve of.
For your convenience, a map of the uptown Shelby Social District.
Also note that the official Beveridge CUP for the Social District drinking has the NewGrass Brewery logo on it. The Newgrass Brewery is owned in a large part by David Deer. Who is a former Cleveland County Manager who personally profited, using insider information and influence, from the Catawba Indian Casino Project, the NewGrass Brewery Bar, and has a large holding in so-called legalized Marijuana (Cannabis) growing, processing and distribution.
2.A so-called “legalized” Marijuana establishment is just now opening in the
Town of Grover, NC. The business, named Crown-Town Cannabis, has just opened, or is about to fully open.
A Grover, NC resident posted a message on Grover Talks asking what Grover residents thought about this new cannabis business and was immediately “blasted” with accusations that such a biased question was a sure example of “Hate” toward any seriously sick person who needed marijuana to relieve their pain.
A bit more research into these new Cannabis businesses indicate that there are already two other such enterprises in Shelby and one in Kings Mountain that is open with a second one in KM that is about to open. Five (so far) are definitely here in Cleveland County and no telling how many more are on the way. Just for Cleveland County!!??
How is it that there are so many cancer patients in CC that are in need of marijuana treatments on a regular basis? Does medical insurance or Medicare cover the cost of such “necessary” medicines???
One thing is known. The “drug trade” in Cleveland County, NC and the USA is huge!!! “Street bought” Cannabis has been reportedly sometimes “laced” with Fentanyl to make it more potent, habit forming and deadly. Who knows what will be done to keep this from happening to the “Store Bought” variety of cannabis?
The Holy Bible says “the wages of sin is death.” Deadly drug overdoses in Cleveland County, North Carolina and the whole of the USA are already of epic proportions and will surely increase. And is obviously already growing by leaps and bounds right here in Cleveland County. All the while you CC people sit idly by while these so-called Cannabis Stores sprout up like weeds. All around you and people say nothing and do nothing.
Folks, when Robert A was growing up in Fallston and well on into his adult years, most everybody was neighbors and neighborly. Sunday was a day of rest and going to Church. Some family somewhere had their “Preacher” and his family over for Sunday dinner and all the kids had to behave. Family visiting was also popular. Robert A came from a large family and had 37 first cousins. There was always a cousin or neighbor kid at or near my own age so there was always somebody to play with. Also, Robert A never played “hookey” from school. First, all my friends and classmates were at school. Second, everybody knew everybody and their kids. If I was playing “hookey” some adult would be bound to see me, tell on me and things thereafter would not be pleasant for a while. Also, on Sunday, stores and just about everything else was closed. Alcohol sales were illegal on Sunday and every other day for that matter. Drugs were illegal and non-existent. Card Games were limited to “Rook.” There were no Educational Lotteries or any other form of organized gambling going on that Robert A ever knew about.
Now, look at Cleveland County!!! Drugs and Alcohol everywhere. Crime and corruption. $in and vice of all kinds everywhere too. And Lies and Deceptions from all our elected so-called leaders. Certainly not just the Shelby City Council. There is more. Everywhere we turn. Here are some troubling examples
The Tax and Spend Cleveland County Commissioners led by Chairman Kevin Gordon and including Johnny Hutchins, Ronnie Whetstine, Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin.
The NEWEST CC $500 Million Justice Center Project:
The OLD OLD Cleveland County Courthouse and all the County offices were once all operating within the “Old” Court Square in Shelby which contained only one Courtroom up until around 1994. The “NEW” (in 1994) Courthouse is now only 30 years old and still in its prime. It has SIX Courtrooms and Robert A (who also attends court trials of interest) does not ever remember seeing all six (or five or even four) courtrooms ever in operation at the same time. Also, every time Robert A visits the Courthouse for any reason, he routinely checks the Court Calendars posted on the bulletin board by the Courtroom doors to get a “feel” for crimes that have been committed in Cleveland County.
Recently, Robert A has concluded that as much as 80% of Superior Court cases are for “Probation Violation.” Often for the Second or Third time. This indicates that the defendant is a repeat offender who is has committed a crime, gotten caught, put on probation, while out on probation commits another crime or crimes, gets caught again, put on probation again and gets caught again. Pages and pages of such cases. With no telling how many crimes this defendant has committed and did NOT get caught. Crime victims upon crime victims all over Cleveland County that will never get the justice that they deserve. All because of the “Revolving Doors” down at the CC Courthouse.
Editor’s Note: A few years back, Robert A himself was the victim of a larceny at his residence in Fallston. Robert A made a report to law enforcement as necessary, but also did some investigations himself. Robert A discovered the identity of a likely suspect and called the Sheriff’s Office with the information. The Sheriff’s Office quickly learned that the person that Robert A had identified was already in jail after getting caught for another unrelated felony crime. The Sheriff’s Deputies went to that person’s jail cell and questioned him. That inmate confessed to the larceny of property at Robert A’s residence and a trial date was set.
Robert A came to Court on that date, but the case was laid over to another date. Again, Robert A came to Court and again the case was laid over. Again, and again and again!!! After five scheduled trails, it appeared to the CC District Attorney that Robert A would not be deterred from appearing in Court, so the DA finally calls the case for trial.
At Trial, the crook’s Court Appointed attorney plead the Crook “guilty” without a trial. The Judge ordered the Crook to be released from jail due to time already spent in jail, and to pay Court Costs, Pay Probation fees, etc. and to pay Robert A restitution for all the things that had been stolen. The Crook paid the Court Costs, paid the Probation fees and all the other such costs and fees. The Crook was released on probation without ever paying Robert A, the victim of the crime, a dime of his loss. Much less for the five days of wasted court appearances.
Over the years since this episode, that Crook committed many more larcenies and other crimes and was sent to prison a time or two.
Now, within the last week or ten days or so, Robert A had the occasion to be looking in the CC Jail log for other reasons and came across the Crook’s name. He was now in jail for Child Abuse, etc. and was under a $90,000 bond. Which NOBODY was going to go THAT bond. The Crook had broken into his own mother’s home and his own mother had pressed criminal charges against him.
So, we have to wonder, how many more crooks with the same MO are locked up in the Cleveland County Jail for no telling how long, just because the CC Criminal Justice System is so ineffective in preventing repeat crimes? Same with the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Robert A has also just recently tried to get an answer to that question from the CC Commissioners with no luck. And, there is more. Much More!!!
On one hand, the DA’s Office, as in the examples described above, show no interest in seeking justice tor honest citizens who are victims of crimes. The CC Courthouse and Jail have revolving doors for those that are willing to plead guilty without a proper trial. Those crooks get out of jail and then steal from the public, sell the stolen goods to pay for the Count costs and fees, get caught again and the whole story repeats itself one more time.
On the other hand, when someone (perhaps totally innocent) is charged with a crime and demand a trial, but are too poor to pay a bondsman and a lawyer are handled quite differently. They are left in jail indefinitely because the DA refuses to call that case to Court.
They are too poor to hire an attorney, are typically black, can’t work because they are in jail awaiting trial. Too poor to pay a bondsman. And the DA doesn’t care. Indeed, the DA’s office apparently likes that arrangement. They keep the poor soul in jail for as long as the sentence would be if the inmate had been found guilty at trial. Then they offer the inmate a plea bargain. “You can get out of jail immediately if you will plead guilty to something.” Any old charge will do. And without a trial. Or just continue to rot in jail. Most inmates, even the innocent ones typically jump at the opportunity to finally get out of jail. And the DA has a conviction on his or her prosecution record and have a good chance of being appointed a Judge when an opening arises.
Robert A has found a number of such cases where the accused has remained in jail without a trial for three years. Robert A found one case where the inmate was kept in jail for SEVEN full years without a trial.
One thing is certain. The Present Cleveland County Justice Center (the 1994 Courthouse and the 1974 Jail versions are long on INJUSTICE, lies and deceptions and short on Planning, Scheduling and overall efficiency. Now they want a new and bigger Three to Five Hundred-Million-dollar (PLU$) Justice Center as a reward for all the lies about their bad performances and scandals that they call accomplishments. And the foolish CC Commissioners under Chairman Kevin Gordon is buying into their propaganda; hook, line and sinker. That will be discussed more in Part II of this article.
Folks, Stay Tuned!! You ain’t heard nothing yet!!!
