Asheville attorney Sean Devereux representing former trooper trying to get his job back

Story from the Raleigh News & Observer:

Former trooper Monty Steven Poarch's path back to the state Highway Patrol continues to get tougher.

In a trial this month, a Buncombe County district judge found him guilty of a misdemeanor assault charge that involved a dispute over a parking space at an Asheville restaurant. The daughter of a Durham assistant district attorney was standing in the space, attempting to hold it for her boyfriend's car, when Poarch slowly drove into the space, forcing her out. The conviction would jeopardize Poarch's law enforcement certification, which could cost him his current job as a captain with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Department, and put an end to his battle to get back with the patrol, said his attorney, Sean Devereux of Asheville.

Poarch sued to return to his job after he was fired in 2003 for having sex with a woman in his cruiser and at a patrol station.

An administrative judge agreed with Poarch, finding that he was subjected to disparate treatment. Other troopers caught in similar or worse behavior remained part of the patrol. The decision made public numerous cases of trooper misconduct over the past decade and created a major embarrassment for the agency.

The patrol and the state Personnel Commission rejected the law judge's finding, and Poarch is now trying to win that case in state Superior Court.

But that effort might all be moot if Poarch loses his appeal on the misdemeanor conviction. He has appealed to Superior Court. Devereux said a trial has been scheduled for the week of July 20.

Comments

[ashevillelokel]

Do we (the citizens) really want this guy "back on the job"?

Why hasn't the C-T covered this story?

[Sean Devereux]

This matter was appealed to Buncombe County Superior Court. On Wednesday, July 22, a jury of twelve Buncombe County residents needed only 25 minutes to find Captain Monty Poarch "not guilty" of assaulting Caroline Paul. That jury heard the testimony of both Poarch and Ms. Paul. With severe cutbacks in North Carolina's criminal justice budget, it seems odd to spend three days of court time on a dispute over a parking space. Especially when a very capable Asheville Police Officer, Greg Latcham, investigated the matter within 10 minutes of its occurrence and declined to bring charges.