01/30/2026
People often tell me that Governor Josh Stein or NC Department of Justice and Attorney General's Office, is “not responsible” for what happened to me….
I am not saying they personally committed the harm against me. What I am saying is that they are responsible for accountability and oversight when harm is reported and lower levels fail.
Here’s an analogy, because this really isn’t complicated….
If a child is hurt in a classroom, the child goes to the teacher. If the teacher ignores it, protects the wrong people, or covers it up, the child goes to the principal. If the principal ignores it, the responsibility escalates to the district. That higher level exists for one reason: to intervene when the system below it fails. That is how checks and balances are supposed to work.
In my case, I went to the “teacher” level first, local officials and local oversight. When that failed, I went to the “principal” level, state oversight. And when that failed, I went higher because that is the purpose of having an Attorney General and a Governor.
Now let’s talk about systems, because this is where people keep trying to deflect responsibility. The Governor and Attorney General are responsible for ensuring that state systems meant to protect the public actually function.
They are responsible for not only investigating Harnett County’s crimes but also the North Carolina State Bar which has refused to hold attorney J. Dupree of Greenville accountable despite allegations and evidence of sexual misconduct against me. Also, NC Conference of District Attorneys where my prosecutor, Amber Barwick, who worked closely with then Attorney General Josh Stein on the r**e kit initiative, was responsible for misconduct in my case, including misleading statements to judges, unethical practices, and actions that directly contributed to my imprisonment.
And now, during my appeal, the truth is plainly visible in the record to exonerate me yet the Attorney General’s Office under Jeff Jackson continues to prolong and ignore it.
These are not abstract systems. They are real offices, with real authority, harming real people.
So when people tell me, “Don’t blame one man, blame the system,” understand this: I agree the system failed but systems do not operate on their own. People with power do.
Oversight leadership is responsible when:
misconduct is reported and ignored, regulatory bodies refuse to act, prosecutors violate ethical obligations and victims are retraumatized through silence and inaction.
Now, to those who support Josh Stein or Attorney General Jeff Jackson because you believe they are good men and good leaders, let me ask you something honestly…
If you believe in them, then why are victims being ignored? Why am I being ignored?
Why are others being ignored? Do good men ignore victims of crime? Do good men allow victims to remain trapped in trauma by refusing to act? Do good men look away when the truth is clearly visible in the record?
Just because someone appears to be a good leader publicly does not mean you know what decisions are being made behind closed doors or who those decisions protect. Public image and private conduct are not the same thing. History has proven that repeatedly.
When victims are denied accountability and justice because power, donors, or professional relationships matter more than truth, it becomes no different than other powerful networks we’ve seen, nationally and locally where victims were ignored for years while leaders stayed silent.
I am not asking anyone to blindly take my side. I am asking people to stop pretending that leadership has no responsibility once harm is reported.
Teacher. Principal. District.
Local.State.Top.
That is how accountability is supposed to work and when it doesn’t, the harm doesn’t end — it multiplies.
Governor Josh Stein NC Department of Justice and Attorney General's Office North Carolina State Bar NC Conference of District Attorneys
Jackson