Henderson County District Attorney Greg Newman told the Citizen Times his decision to prosecute an alleged sexual assault case at Asheville School might hinge on public efforts to remove him from office.
The affidavit to remove Newman was filed under a relatively obscure law known as General Statute 7A-66. It was initiated Feb. 11 by more than a dozen families in North Carolina prosecutorial district 42, which encompasses Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties.
They filed the petition in Henderson County Superior Court. On March 3, Superior Court Judge Peter Knight referred it to Judge Robert C. Ervin, who has 30 days from that day - or until April 3 - to act on the motion, which could lead to a public hearing or to dismissal of the motion.