That’s the question posed by WWAY in its latest report on the R.C. Soles saga. Gore is the district attorney tasked with deciding whether to file charges against Soles in the shooting of Kyle Blackburn or other matters currently being investigated by the SBI. He is a longtime friend and political ally of the longtime Columbus County senator. The station quoted the state statute speaking to the appointment of special prosecutors:
The General Statute reads, “although there is not always an actual conflict of interest in these cases, it is sometimes better from a ‘public perception’ standpoint to eliminate an appearance of conflict or some suggestion that the matter will not be handled properly. Having a separate independent prosecutorial agency assume responsibility for these types of cases is in the best interest of the proper administration of justice in assuring the public that the case will be handled properly and in the public’s best interest.”
The statute goes on to list examples of cases which fall into this category. One of those examples: “when a local attorney, law enforcement officer, court official, or other public official is investigated or charged, and the district attorney has a personal or professional relationship with that person such that his ability to be fair and impartial will be questioned.”
........As you post your comment, please conform to Squall Line's simple comment policy: we welcome all perspectives, but require that comments be both civil and respectful. If you wouldn't say it to a co-worker in front of your boss, it probably is not civil and respectful. We will delete any comment that fails this test and issue a warning to the poster. A second offense will result in a ban on commenting on this site. In sum, disagreements, arguments even, are welcome; abusive behavior is not. Thanks.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
