MINT HILL, N.C. — The Mint Hill Board of Commissioners met Thursday night for the first time since a blockbuster WCNC Charlotte investigation. It revealed the town's police department seized $69,000 from a sex offender and then -- along with the federal government -- quietly kept the cash, preventing the child he abused from collecting the money as part of a civil court judgment.
In the weeks after WCNC Charlotte first reported the injustice, people from across the country have blasted the Mint Hill Police Department on the town's social media accounts, a congressman has raised concerns about the need for reform and a Charlotte Observer opinion columnist has accused the police department of essentially stealing money meant for the now-teenage girl.
The town's elected leaders have refused to comment publicly about the case at the urging of their attorney and Town Manager Brian Welch. An email from Welch to Commissioner Twanna Henderson, obtained through a public records request, advised her to ignore WCNC Charlotte's request for comment.
"I'd say ignore it for many reasons, primary one being the possibility of future litigation. Obviously horrible what happened to that young lady, but one issue has nothing to do with the other," Welch wrote in the Oct. 4 email. "Regardless of one's feelings on asset forfeiture, and regardless of any future federal legislation, this money was treated like any other we've ever been a part of and was dispersed in accordance with all federal regulations pertaining to such."
Mint Hill leaders met Thursday, Nov. 9, for the first time since the WCNC Charlotte investigation became national. Town leaders did not comment on the matter during the meeting, but they did read a public comment that was sent in by a Charlotte resident.
The teen's family and her attorney have maintained a Mint Hill police officer assured them the money would be held in evidence, meaning it would eventually be available to pursue through a civil lawsuit. An email from Police Chief Joseph Hatley to commissioners, also obtained through a public records request, states, "For your knowledge only: No one ever told her we were holding the money."
WCNC Charlotte also obtained text messages exchanged between the chief and at least one unknown person.
"And what officer told them the money was sitting there waiting for them?" one of them wrote on Oct. 2.
"No one did. She found out we seized the money once she got the public copy of the report," the other person replied.
"Someone didn't tell the truth? The shock!" the next message reads.
"The truth doesn't sell," the replier wrote.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
The victim's mother told WCNC Charlotte an officer communicated with the family early on, questioning whether the suspect really won the lottery the prior year. WCNC Charlotte can confirm he really had won the lottery.
In a separate text message exchange, the chief told someone the feds "are aware and do not care" about the court order the teen's family secured in the case.
As WCNC Charlotte previously reported, MHPD partnered with a federal agency to take $69,000 in suspected drug money from the man they investigated for sex crimes. They never charged him with any drug offenses, but thanks to federal law, the department was able to keep the cash and spend it before his victim could sue the sex offender for compensation.
In recent months, the family secured a state judge's order saying the teen has a right to stake her claim to the money, unaware the seized cash was gone. MHPD's attorney told WCNC Charlotte the judge's court order has no authority, since the cash went through the federal equitable sharing program three years prior.
The mayor canceled the previously scheduled Oct.12 meeting due to "no business to be conducted."
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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