Gov. Cooper issues pardons of innocence to 5 inmates
By BRYAN ANDERSONDecember 17, 2020 GMT
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday the pardons of five men convicted of crimes he believes they did not commit.
Among the prisoners is Ronnie Long, who spent 44 years in prison for a rape he says he did not commit. Long was freed in August. Cooper’s actions allow him and four other ex-convicts to apply for compensation of $50,000 a year up to $750,000 for their wrongful felony convictions.
“We must continue to work to reform our justice system and acknowledge when people have been wrongly convicted,” Cooper said in a statement. “I have carefully reviewed the facts in each of these cases and, while I cannot give these men back the time they served, I am granting them Pardons of Innocence in the hope that they might be better able to move forward in their lives.”
Ronnie Long, four others granted pardons of innocence by N.C. Governor
NC governor pardons five innocent men By Nick Ochsner | December 17, 2020 at 1:48 PM EST - Updated December 17 at 7:04 PM
RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) - Governor Roy Cooper issued a pardon of innocence to five men on Thursday, each of whom had been convicted of crimes they did not commit.
The four other men, Teddy Isbell, Damian Mills, Kenneth Kagonyera and Larry Williams, were co-defendants in a 2000 Buncombe County murder case and had coerced into pleading guilty, even though they were innocent.
The pardons make the men eligible to receive compensation from the state for the time they spent in prison.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 17, 2020 â High Point University has appointed 10 new members to its Board of Visitors. The board is composed of more than 140 business leaders, alumni, friends and community advocates for HPU, who are recognized for their character, success, philanthropy and leadership.
âWe welcome our new members to the Board of Visitors to continue High Point Universityâs mission to support and grow the surrounding community,â says HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. âOur Board of Visitors bring incredible leadership, service and values that will help move us forward.â
The recently appointed members are as follows:
Melody Burnett
Melody Burnett is the president of Visit High Point, formerly the High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau (HPCVB). She has more than 20 years of destination marketing and management experience in the Triad and a degree in recreation, parks and tourism with a minor in business. She holds a certificate in nonprofit managem