Wayne Week — Sept. 8, 2024

N E W OL D NORT H M E DI A PR E SE N T S A W E E K LY N E WS M AG A Z I N E

SE P T E M BE R 8, 2024

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Dear John ...

Wayne

WEEK

Goldsboro, according to local residents and a member of the City Council with expertise in the matter, has a prostitution problem.

BY KEN FINE

/ p. 14

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 8, 2024 Volume 2, Issue 4

NEWOLDNORT H .CO M

EDITORIAL EDITOR Ken Fine EDITOR Renee Carey DESIGN DIRECTOR Shan Stumpf PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Casey Mozingo

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Hallie Hulse Evans ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE McKayla Alves ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Lara Landers

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New Old North Media LLC

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4 Mayor tells council to be ethical

After the publication of the contents of closed session discussions and confidential documents, Mayor Charles Gaylor and City Attorney Ron Lawrence tell members of the City Council to be ethical. Not everyone is happy about it.

8 There are 24 vape shops in the city Mayor Pro Tem Brandi Matthews told her fellow City Council members that she would never again vote to approve a vape shop, as they were seemingly everywhere. A list compiled by city staff validates her position.

10 Cox objects to pre-sentence report Former Wayne County Sheriff's Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox has objected to the pre-sentence investigation report completed by the U.S. Probation Office — a document meant to help the judge determine an appropriate punishment.

14 Cover story

There is a neighborhood in Goldsboro that leads to downtown that residents say has a prostitution problem.

Their concerns are valid, a member of the City Council with expertise in the matter, says.

18 An American Prince

Former Charles B. Aycock basketball star Kamran Prince is taking his talents to American University — and will use memories made on the hardwoods in Pikeville as motivation as he chases his dream of playing professional hoops.

20 Spectator

Two rivalry games helped Wayne County get back into the football spirit after heavy rains Friday forced schedule changes.

COVER DESIGN

BY SHAN STUMPF

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NEWS +VIEWS

Mayor reminds council to be ethical After the publication of the contents of closed session discussions and confidential documents, Mayor Charles Gaylor and City Attorney Ron Lawrence tell members of the City Council to do better.

Not every member of the board is happy about it.

BY KEN FINE AND RENEE CAREY

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alling it a topic that was “highly, highly relevant right now,” Mayor Charles Gaylor told members of the Goldsboro City Council Tuesday that they needed to ensure they were “living up to our code of ethics” — a reaction, according to sources inside City Hall, to the publication of the contents of several closed session discussions by Wayne Week.

But some members of the board, who asked to remain anonymous so they could speak freely without drawing the mayor’s ire, said they were offended by the implication that elected officials were the ones divulging the information — particularly given the fact that in stories relating to so-called “secret” deliberations, the confidential sources were identified as “city employees” who were “not elected officials.”

“I know for a fact that everybody on the council read those stories,” one council member said. “It could not have been more clear that the person leaking information from our closed session was an employee.

And, as you know, there are always several non-elected officials in our closed sessions.”

Two Wayne Week stories were at the heart of Tuesday’s discussion.

The first, published at the beginning of year, involved a preliminary audit report sent to City Hall by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor.

Its contents, which were supposed to remain confidential until the state had completed its investigation, included a staggering number of “issues of concern.”

Items mentioned included: • Misuse of COVID-19 funds.

• Former City Manager Tim Salmon allegedly receiving what the state characterized as an undocumented water credit — one of dozens of credits awarded to city employees and elected officials.

• Thousands of dollars in charges to city procurement cards made by council members and department heads for trips across the country and stays at beach resorts.

• Council members with thousands of dollars owed to the Water Department being granted grace and not having their water service disconnected in what the state said was a show of “preferential treatment.”

“They wanted to keep it in the dark so they could change some policies and explain the bad behavior away and act like nothing had happened,” the source who provided the

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Continued on page 6

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Continued from page 4

information earlier this year told Wayne Week a few days ago. “Whistleblowing when there is law-breaking happening and you have corrupt politicians and leaders is protected by our government. There’s a reason. If it weren’t for what they are calling a ‘leak’ from someone a bunch of council members are now saying should get me fired, nobody would have ever known about how dirty things had gotten in this building.”

But publication of the preliminary audit report, which drew harsh public criticism from Gaylor and Mayor Pro Tem Brandi Matthews, is not the only reason the mayor asked council to both remember that there is a code of conduct in place and prepare to vote on codifying an amended version of it at a future meeting.

Leaders inside City Hall have also been under mounting pressure to prevent leaks from closed session since a federal judge delivered a warning after details of a private settlement conference — and a subsequent City Council closed session — were disclosed and published in the Aug. 11 edition of Wayne Week.

And while, given the sheer number of people with access to the information — from current council members and city

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staff to those on the other side of a lawsuit filed in 2022 — it is unclear how U.S. Magistrate Judge James Gates could, in fact, hold the city “in contempt” should additional information about any potential future settlement discussions leak, one council member said the order from the judge made people “nervous.”

According to the U.S. District Court docket report for Williams v. City of Goldsboro et al, a sealed order signed by Gates was submitted Aug.16.

Three days later, the council, according to a confidential source, was notified during a closed session that the judge had threatened a potential contempt of court finding should more confidential information make its way into the public.

At issue, in this case, was the disclosure of details from both an Aug. 5 “settlement conference” that unfolded in Raleigh and what transpired during a City Council closed session later that day.

The Aug. 11 Wayne Week cover story detailed that former Goldsboro City Councilman — and current Wayne County Commissioner — Antonio Williams had reason to believe he might soon be the recipient of a $45,000 settlement that would put an end to a lawsuit he

filed against the city and one of its former department heads in 2022.

But when the current council got wind of the proposed deal, the majority of its members adamantly rejected the prospect of paying him anything — opting instead, via a 5-2 vote, to allow the legal process to play out.

According to a confidential source with direct knowledge of the fallout from the board’s decision, who also was in the room during the vote, the commissioner and his legal team were “shocked” and “angered” by the turn of events — despite the fact that based on the discussion held between council members, “there was never any doubt (Williams) wasn’t going to get a dime.”

Then, after the story published, the source said Williams’ attorney notified Gates that the information had leaked, resulting in the recent sealed court order.

• • • Gaylor is not the only one who addressed the board about the problem with “leaks” Tuesday.

City Attorney Ron Lawrence also weighed in.

“What happens in closed session should stay in closed session,” he said.

Lawrence, like Gaylor, seemed to zero in on

the council — educating them as to why closed sessions exist in the first place after the mayor noted there were “new” people on the board who needed clarity.

“This is not intended to be a ridicule. It’s not intended to be anything other than a factual statement. We’ve got to make sure that we are living up to our code of ethics,” Gaylor said. “We have some concerns with information that is sensitive information … getting out. We also have a relatively new council, some new folks in the room, so we’ve got to make sure that everyone is very clear on what’s expected.”

And that statement did not sit well with those on the board who spoke to Wayne Week after the meeting.

“Not only does it sound like he is accusing members of the council of leaking information, he’s really coming after the new ones,” said one of the council members. “How do we know he’s not the one talking out of school?

How do we know it’s not (Lawrence)? That’s the part that gets under my skin. And honestly, we should be thanking the person who leaked the audit stuff. If it wasn’t for them, some of the people who were apparently doing illegal stuff wouldn’t have been outed. I’ll just leave it at that.”n

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To Mayor Pro Tem Matthews’ point, there are 24 vape shops in Goldsboro

Members of the City Council are still waiting for staff to present them with a way to deny new vape stores from opening.

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BY KEN FINE

o recommendation was made to the Goldsboro City Council Tuesday regarding how the board might handle future applications for vape stores, but staff is expected to present one in the coming weeks, as several members of the council have signaled a desire to stop allowing them to open.

Among those who have taken aim at the stores include Councilwoman Beverly Weeks and Mayor Pro Tem Brandi Matthews, with the latter saying she would vote “no” every time development of a vape store came before the board.

“I do plan to deny all of these because I don’t think we need another vape shop in Goldsboro,” she said earlier this year.

“There is almost one on every block.”

To Matthews’ point, a list compiled by staff inside City Hall shows 24 vape shops in Goldsboro. (A map of their locations has been included in this report.)

But in order to legally limit development of more, the council would have to adopt an ordinance that would “confine” them to a “specific zoning district” or place a “proximity-type requirement on them” — a process several other North Carolina municipalities have undertaken.

That way, if the board decided to ensure vape shops were not near schools, churches, or parks — or if they were prohibited from being within a certain distance from another vape shop — the issue could very well resolve itself and the current number would hold.

And doing it “the right way,” matters to Councilman Chris Boyette, an experienced planner who is well-versed in the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and has cautioned the board against making decisions that could make the city vulnerable to litigation.

“As long as we are in lockstep with staff and our land use plan, we can comfortably move forward with whatever restrictions the majority is in favor of,” he told Wayne Week. ”n

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Cox objects to pre-sentence report

His sentencing had already been pushed back to the end of September, but now, it appears as though it could take even longer for judge to impose penalty on former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit chief.

BY RENEE CAREY

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is sentencing was delayed until late September so his lawyers could review a pre-sentence investigation report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office — a document meant to inform the judge as he decides what penalty to impose.

But a few days ago, more than a year after he was taken into custody for federal crimes he would later admit to committing, former Wayne County Sheriff ’s Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox officially filed an objection to the report, laying the groundwork for yet another delay.

The contents of the document are sealed — as is the objection — so just what prompted Cox’s attorney to notify Chief Judge Richard Myers II their client was challenging it remains unclear.

But given what in included in the report, certain information was unlikely to raise red flags.

“Part A” involves the charges — everything from a “chronological history of the prosecution of the case” and determination 10

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of “whether the offense was part of a larger scheme” to the defendant’s “custody status.”

But none of that seems likely to be up for debate, as Cox pleaded guilty, admitted in open court that the details spelled out in the indictment were, in fact, true, and has been jailed since he was arrested by federal agents in August 2023.

The following, however — the remainder of the information included in the report — includes details not yet discussed on the record: Victim Impact — While the Victim Impact section is actually part of the offense conduct for which the defendant is responsible, this information is presented under a separate heading to emphasize its importance and the fact that this section includes the impact on all victims of the offense, regardless of whether the information affects guideline application.

An assessment of the financial, social, psychological, and medical impact upon any individ-

ual victim of the offense is presented, and any financial losses caused by the conduct in the offense are reported.

Adjustment for Obstruction of Justice — This section describes any efforts made by the defendant to impede the investigation or prosecution of this case.

Adjustment for Acceptance of Responsibility — This section contains an assessment of the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility for the offense of conviction.

Offense Level Computation — This section presents the application and calculation of the sentencing guidelines and includes a short synopsis of facts underlying each application, providing tentative findings for the court. For each count, it identifies the applicable guideline and shows the base offense level and any specific offense characteristics or adjustments that modify the base offense level. An explanation indicating the reason for grouping or not grouping counts when a case involves multiple

counts. In all cases, the guideline application is displayed, resulting in the total offense level for the case.

Offense Behavior Not Part of Relevant Conduct — This section describes criminal behavior that has not been reported in The Offense Conduct section because it is not considered relevant conduct by the guidelines. This section may include offense behavior described in dismissed counts that is not part of relevant conduct for guideline calculations.

Juvenile Adjudications — This section contains a report of the defendant’s record of juvenile adjudications of crime or delinquency and diversionary dispositions based on a finding or admission of guilt. Adjudications are included in chronological other, whether or not they are used in calculating the criminal history category under the Guidelines.

The value assigned to each sentence under Chapter IV of the guidelines is also shown.

Criminal Convictions — This section contains a report of the defendant’s adult criminal convictions and those diversions resulting from a guilty plea in a judicial proceeding. It includes a description of the defendant’s prior criminal convictions and dispositions in each case as well as the defendant’s adjustment while incarcerated or under supervision.

Criminal History Computation — This section displays the calculation of the criminal history category and the basis for the calculation.

Pending Charges — This section lists any pending charges against the defendant.

This section is omitted if there are no charges.

Other Criminal Conduct — This section reports reliable information regarding other past criminal conduct which may indicate the criminal history category does not adequately reflect the seriousness of the defendant’s past criminal conduct, or the defendant’s likelihood to commit future crimes.

Other Arrests — All other arrests of the defendant are reported in this section in order to provide information to the court regarding the defendant’s contact with law enforcement authorities.

Offender Characteristics — This part sets forth information relative to the defendant’s personal background. Included is information concerning personal and family data, physical condition, mental and emotional health, substance abuse, education and vocational skills, employment and financial condition, including an assessment of the defendant’s ability to make restitution or pay a fine.

Sentencing Options — This part sets forth penalties authorized by statute along with the kinds of sentences available under the guidelines. Included are the statutory and guideline provisions for custody, impact

of the plea agreement, supervised release, probation, fines, restitution, forfeitures, and for drug offenses, denial of benefits.

By presenting the statutory and guideline provisions, the parameters of each may be compared. Guideline sentencing options are found in Chapter V of the Guideline Manual.

Impact of the Plea Agreement — This part is included in presentence reports that are prepared when a plea agreement has been tendered to the court. The probation officer assesses the impact of the plea agreement on the guideline sentence by comparing the guidelines applicable under the plea agreement with the guidelines that would apply if the defendant were to plead to all counts.

Factors That May Warrant Departure — This part contains the probation officer’s statement of “any factors that may indicate that a sentence of a different kind or of a different length from the one within the applicable guideline would be more appropriate under all the circumstances.”

Factors That May Warrant a Sentence Outside of the Advisory Guideline System — As a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in U.S. v. Booker (2005), a system was developed in which the sentencing courts are required to consider the sentencing options recommended by the sentencing guidelines, but the judges are free to impose any sentence authorized by Congress. This part contains information identified by the officer as any fact or circumstance addressed in the report that may be relevant to sentencing that was not otherwise considered in the guideline calculations or departure analysis.

Since most grounds will have already been considered by the guidelines or policy statements, officers are cautious when identifying these factors.

Addendum to the Presentence Report — In some courts, the presentence report is disclosed to the defendant, counsel for the defendant, and counsel for the Government before it is submitted to the judge. This procedure allows both counsel to communicate with the probation officer to resolve any concerns or objections regarding material information, sentencing classifications, or the sentencing guideline range contained in the presentence report.

As of press time, Myers had not updated the court calendar to entertain Cox’s objection to the report.

But ultimately, the former Drug Unit chief will be sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty, in March, to two crimes — drug- and financial crimes-related felonies — that could carry with them up to 20 years of imprisonment each, more than $1 million in fines, and the seizure of Cox’s business, home, and other assets. n

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Wayne

WEEK

MIND GA M ES

A unanimous decision to move Goldsboro High School to a new building has drawn the ire of community leaders, former students, and teachers who fear the school will soon close for good.

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SPECIES? ENDANGERED

Dozens have graduated from the University of Mount Olive’s Master's in Counseling Psychology program, but because it is still not accredited, most are unable to find employment as therapists in North Carolina.

BY KEN FINE p. 1 4

BY KEN FINE

/ p. 14

NEWS: Court documents filed last week seem to indicate former WCSO deputy has reached a plea deal . p.6

N E W OL D NORT H M E DI A PR ESE N TS A W E E K LY N E WS M AGA Z I N E

F E BU R A RY 18, 2024

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ALSO INSIDE

Wayne

Coram’s lawsuit thrown out / p. 4

WEEK

NEWS Salmon out as City Manager / p. 8

N E W OL D NORT H M E DI A PR E SE N T S A W E E K LY N E WS M AGA Z I N E

M AY 12, 2024

Wayne

WEEK

CLIPPED WING? Local leaders say it’s time to fight back after community was “blindsided” by news of cuts coming to 4th Fighter Wing. / by KEN FINE p. 16

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CONTENT WARNING

Some of the information in our cover story could be perceived as graphic in nature and could be upsetting to some readers, including those who might have experienced abuse or sexual assault.

THE PROBLEM WITHIN

Two Wayne County public school teachers have been charged with taking indecent liberties with students since Gov. Roy Cooper signed a harsher set of penalties for the crime into law in late 2023.

But those two individuals are only part of a problem the local education community has been dealing with for the last several years.

BY KEN FINE p.12

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{ our TAKE }

YOUR VOICES ARE CHANGING THIS COMMUNITY

T

here is a new view of information.

In the past, every media outlet talked about the need to protect the freedom of speech — and lectured its readers and critics when anyone, and we mean anyone, did anything to rein in anyone’s right to exercise it.

We permitted speech we did not like, speech we disagreed with, and speech that no one should ever feel comfortable saying out loud.

It is what made us uniquely American.

They could say it, but we, the people, had the right to decide how we felt about it.

Information is power, we said.

There is nothing more important, no American right as critical as the freedom to express oneself — even if your opinion is not shared, even if the comment you have is against 12

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the leaders who purport to represent you.

And we fought to protect that right because we believed, in our hearts, that Americans would do the right thing and think for themselves.

We should never stop the discussions, those free speech champions said, because not only is it how we reach consensus, but also how we, as a community, decide what kind of country we want to be.

And along with that right to free speech was an implicit addendum — there is no public official, public body, or elite command center that could interfere with the public’s right to know, the right to keep an eye on how politicians are leading, what they are deciding, and how they are spending our money.

Boy have times changed.

Now, there is an elite layer — in every community — that thinks it is better if there are some things you don’t know.

And they conspire among themselves to keep you in the dark.

After all, they do not need your input or your scrutiny.

They know better.

The details?

The information you have every right to know?

Well, that is unnecessary now. They will tell you what they want you to know.

And don’t even think about asking any questions.

But here’s the problem.

They don’t tell you everything you need to know to make a decision about your community’s future.

And when they make deals behind closed doors, you are not their first thought.

Power is.

There are backdoor deals and bad news and poor performance that get swept under a rug.

It is how contracts go to only a few key players and decisions about hiring and firing are made based on who you know.

Because they think you, the taxpayer, will never know — and what you don’t know won’t hurt you.

It is getting harder and harder to get information to you that you need to know, because there are fewer and fewer people asking the important questions.

And when no one is asking and no one is talking, that is when the corruption and collusion start.

It is why we can go for years with no timely audits in the city of Goldsboro.

It’s why we have dismal test scores in our school district but celebrate “growth.”

And it’s why high-ranking personnel in the Wayne County Sheriff ’s Office colluded on bids and protected known drug dealers.

So, no, it has never been more important for those of you who see something to say something, to have the courage to speak about the stuff they don’t want you to talk about.

It is your right.

And it is our duty to question — and to demand accountability.

It is how we will change this community — and how you have already changed this community.

You might have noticed that there were not quite so many people hanging around Donel’s this week — that it seemed a whole lot quieter there.

It is because someone spoke out and we were able to let the community know that there was a problem.

A brave councilwoman — Jamie Taylor — raised her voice and a message was sent.

And because she did, we can now talk about fixing the problem.

The same is true for those who talked to us this week about the drug dealing and prostitution problems in a Goldsboro neighborhood.

When the word gets out, when the people have the chance to speak, change begins.

You see, light sends rats scattering.

And the same is true when a community refuses to just sit back and swallow what their leaders are spewing out.

So, we need to keep a close eye on what is going on.

We need to demand records, to examine agreements, and to hold our leaders — at all levels — responsible for the promises they made to the people.

And if we want to change the future for our children in Goldsboro, and we see something important — something that we know is wrong — we have to stand up.

Freedom of speech is going to be a hot topic over the next few months. And there will be those who want to be able to tell you what you can and can’t see and what you can and can’t say.

Don’t stand for it.

Don’t let them take away one of your most precious rights — the ability to have a say in your family’s future.

Over the last few years, many of us have let the bullies shut us down.

We let a few loudmouths cancel the debate.

We let them call us names and shame us into silence.

And as a result, there was a lot of bad stuff

— and a lot of little Napoleons who decided that they did not need to hear what the people thought, or to abide by the rules.

They decided their opinions were much more educated, much more important.

And you see where it got us.

We can’t stand for it.

Not here. Not anymore.

We have to watch carefully for the signs — and call out those who still don’t get that the public’s right to know is absolute.

So, we will keep passing the information on to you that we uncover.

We will keep asking the questions the leaders of this community wish we wouldn’t.

And we will call B.S. when we hear another spin, another coverup, and another attempt to avoid a fuss.

It is our duty — one we take very, very seriously.

So, thank you to those whose first thought is to get the information to the people, who want you to be able to decide.

Today it is stopping criminal enterprises on the street corners and next week it might be holding yet another politician accountable for his or her actions.

It is brave.

It is courageous.

And it is what we have nurtured as Americans for generations.

Now is the time to make sure the First Amendment is strong and healthy — and to do that, we need you.

And no, when a confidential source passes along a preliminary audit report that reveals alleged corruption and illegalities taking place inside City Hall, it is not OK to threaten their jobs and remind them of a need to be “ethical” because that information damages your ego or your image.

Whistleblowers are an essential part of this country.

They have federal and state protections for a reason.

And they, too, deserve a publication — and a readership — that has their back no matter how many passive aggressive comments directed their way are made during a council meeting.

No one will silence us.

And we won’t let them silence you.

Because silence, well, look where it has gotten us over the last few years?

It has left fires burning all over Wayne County that are just now beginning to be put out thanks, mainly, to those who finally decided to speak up.

So, the work continues and won’t stop until this community is well along its path to its very best self.

And nobody — absolutely nobody — will stop it.

That’s a promise.n

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Dear John ...

Goldsboro, according to some local residents and a member of the City Council with expertise in the matter, has a prostitution problem.

BY KEN FINE

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I

t’s not quite 3 p.m. on a September Wednesday and the pleasant weather — 79 degrees, sunshine, and a soft breeze — has lured several Walnut Street residents out of their homes.

But as they sit on their front porch, two women shake their heads as a scene they say has become all too familiar plays out just down the block.

A tall, white woman, wearing a neon purple mini-skirt, a green tube top, and flip flops is stumbling down the street while she puts her dirty-blonde hair into a ponytail.

She has visible cuts and sores on her arms and legs.

Her clothing is stained.

And moments later, after she lights a cigarette, she starts waving at nearly every car that passes until one slows down and stops along the curb.

“I don’t want no trouble and that one right there is trouble,” said one of the neighbors, who only agreed to speak to Wayne Week if she remained anonymous and after the car, which the woman ended up getting into, was out of sight.

“You ain’t even got to say nothin’. If you look at her funny, she threatens your life.”

Less than 24 hours earlier, Albert Van Kleeck had no problem making his name public during the Goldsboro City Council’s Sept. 3 meeting.

Broad-daylight drug-dealing and prostitution, he told the board, have gotten out of control in the neighborhood he shares with those women on Walnut Street.

Albert Van Kleeck says he will no longer stay silent about prostitutes on his block.

“I invested in our city a little over two years ago, purchasing a home in an area I learned too late was in what prostitutes call, ‘The Ho Stroll’ — defined by them, to me, as from Ash to Elm and then Slocumb to Herman,” Van Kleeck said. “Children aren’t allowed outdoors. I have a bullet lodged in my electrical panel. Another neighbor had a bullet come through her living room window.”

And when he confronts those “strollers” who walk the block and engage in sex work, they threaten him with retaliation.

“They accuse me of racism and threaten, ‘I know the gangs,’” Van Kleeck said.

He has even been assaulted by them — twice.

“I’ve taken a brick to the back and a tree branch to the head,” he told the council. “We see them. They know we see them. And they don’t like it.”

C

ouncilwoman Beverly Weeks knows Van Kleeck’s neighborhood well.

Through her leadership of Cry Freedom Missions, an organization that fights human trafficking, she has witnessed scenes like the one that played out Wednesday afternoon countless times.

“I definitely empathize with (Van Kleeck) because I’ve done a lot of work in that area — as far as trafficking and prostitution — and I do have concerns about that area,” she said. “I think

PHOTO BY KEN FINE

we need to put more eyes in that area. I think we need to up our law enforcement presence in that area. I do believe it has become an issue.”

But during a recent discussion with Wayne Week, Police Chief Mike West was clear that until his depleted department is staffed up, he has to set priorities — that right now, fighting gun violence is at the top of the list.

“I’ve said it before. I don’t have enough people on the street to sustain doing violent crimes over here and work on prostitution over here and the homeless over here. I’ve got to pick and choose my battles,” West said.

“And right now, shootings and violent crime are at the top of my list. So, it’s a give and take.”

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Continued from page 15

For Van Kleeck and his neighbors, that means taking matters into their own hands.

But despite their commitment to keeping an eye on what is happening on their respective blocks, neighborhood watch meetings have been replaced with text messages and emails.

“The members of my neighborhood watch don’t want to come together and meet because they’re afraid they’ll be seen and retaliated against,” he said. “That’s how bad it is. People won’t come together and meet publicly.”

W

eeks sees a problem that is far bigger than any one Goldsboro neighborhood.

In fact, she said Cry Freedom was called in by the Wayne County Sheriff ’s Office Aug. 28 after DT Spa — a “massage” business — was raided by lawmen and two women Weeks said were “involved in sex work” needed an advocate.

“We have them back home,” Weeks said.

“They have been reunited with their families.”

But shuttering one business — or arresting the known prostitutes like the woman who was walking down Walnut Street Wednesday attempting to flag down cars — is only one step in what the councilwoman said is an arduous process.

Because the sex work, Weeks said, is almost always a byproduct of deeper issues.

“Poverty, prostitution, and drug addiction all go hand in hand,” she said. “And traffickers, they are really going to prey on people who are very vulnerable.”

So, until the city’s drug crisis is resolved, there will always be women who end up in “bondage” because of debts to dealers.

“Drug dealers are getting smart,” Weeks said. “I mean, I could sell you a bag of drugs one time, but I could sell you that girl over and over and over again.”

And as long as poverty remains, certain people will do what they have to do to survive.

“I don’t believe anybody raises their hand in school and says, ‘I want to be a prostitute when I grow up.’ I don’t think that’s any young girl’s dream,” Weeks said. “If my child was starving, if it weren’t but for the grace of God, I don’t know what I would do to make ends meet. For some people, they are made to feel like it’s their only option.”

F

ortunately for people like Van Kleeck, come December, the GPD will have another way to deter those who participate in the sex trade.

In late June, Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB 971 into law, a piece of legislation that increases the penalty for those who solicit prostitutes.

“Any person who solicits another for the purpose of prostitution is guilty of a Class I

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We refuse to cower behind double-locked doors.

We keep fighting the good fight.

felony for a first offense and a Class H felony for a second or subsequent offense,” the new law reads.

So, if the city, as Weeks is advocating for, “enforces the law and holds people accountable,” those ensuring “strollers” in Van Kleeck’s neighborhood continue their behavior might have more reason to pause.

But the man who spoke to the council Tuesday said enforcement of the law by police is not enough.

“None of this is taken seriously by the court system, which frustrates the police to no end,” Van Kleeck said. “That’s the other layer of this.

The judicial system, it is a joke. It is a joke. It is a joke. (The police) arrest people and then within 24 hours, they are bonded out and they’re back on the street.”

That, he added, only empowers those committing crime to continue their behavior.

But despite the many challenges he has faced since he moved to Goldsboro, Van Kleeck remains determined to, one day, experience the North Carolina retirement he dreamed of when he chose to move to the Wayne County seat.

And he refuses to be deterred by those who have threatened to do him harm.

“These activities undermine the sense of security we deserve. They tell us we need to stay inside and mind our own business. To that, we say, ‘Hell no,’” Van Kleeck told the council. “We refuse to cower behind doublelocked doors. We keep fighting the good fight.”

Mayor Charles Gaylor vowed to be a part of a solution.

“We cannot give up your neighborhood.

We cannot give up any part of our city,” he said. “When I was a kid, that was a safe neighborhood. It needs to be again.”n

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. Wayne WEEK . 17

SPORTS +REC AN AMERICAN PRINCE Former Charles B. Aycock basketball standout accepts a Division I full ride and will play his college ball at American University.

H

BY KEN FINE

e was bound for Trinity Academy, but Kamran Prince’s heart remained in Pikeville.

He had dreamed about wearing a Charles B. Aycock jersey since he was a little boy — and walking away before his senior year, after emerging as the star of the school’s basketball team and having the opportunity to take to the hardwoods with his best friends, felt strange.

But he stuck to his decision — remaining “laser focused” on the dream he had been chasing for as long as he could remember.

And he knew that the exposure that would come with suiting up for Trinity would give him the best shot at taking the next step toward a career in professional basketball.

“I knew Trinity would be better for me and the basketball would be better for me, but just being away from home, it took me a couple of weeks to adjust,” Prince said. “Aycock definitely played a big role in this. I was there for three years. And even when I was younger, when I was in seventh grade and eighth grade, I always went to the Aycock games.

Not being there for the first time, it was kind of rough.”

But when the 2023-24 basketball season began, he found peace — a calm that propelled him to a season that resulted in a flurry of offers from Division I programs, from Boston University and UNC-Asheville to American University, the school Prince is announcing, exclusively in Wayne Week, that he recently committed to attend.

“I think I showed that you can definitely accomplish your dreams if you stay committed to the work. I don’t know, you’ve just got to have a goal,” Prince said. “And I kind of always knew. I never could imagine me not playing at the next level. So, I’ve always just been working toward the ultimate goal.”

So, as he prepares for his final high school season at Trinity, he will do so without having to wonder about his next destination — and knowing that when he moves to Washington D.C. after graduation, he will use the pride of the Aycock family that gave him his start as fuel to keep chasing a shot at making basketball a career.

“No matter what happens, that junior year, playing with my best friends and my brother at Aycock, I wouldn’t trade that year for anything,” Prince said. “So, Aycock will always be with me and I’m just grateful that I made it.”n

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the SPECTATOR Saturday — and Tuesday — night lights Heavy rains forced teams to adjust, but a pair of local rivalries got Wayne County residents back into the football spirit Saturday and Tuesday, as Charles B. Aycock took down Eastern Wayne on the road and Southern Wayne knocked off Goldsboro.

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