The head of the state agency that oversees the Highway Patrol is calling for an investigation into missing records detailing former Gov. Mike Easley's travels.
State Crime Control Secretary Reuben Young has requested an independent investigation of missing flight records and he has ordered the patrol captain involved in their disappearance to go back on administrative duty.
On Friday, the patrol confirmed that Capt. Alan Melvin had been returned to duty. This was after an internal inquiry, followed by an internal affairs investigation, determined that Melvin had not intended to remove or destroy the records.
Newly appointed patrol Commander Randy Glover had made that decision last month, but Young took Melvin off the job again Monday. Patrol spokesman Capt. Everett Clendenin said Young was concerned about new information that a patrol secretary had given to The News & Observer about the missing records.
The secretary assigned to the governor's security detail said in the internal inquiry that Melvin had told her to download flight records onto a computer disk and then give it to him. He told her to then delete the files to "free up space on the computer."
The secretary said in an interview with The N&O that she had never expressed a problem with the computer that would require the need to free up space.
Young "had not heard that information before," Clendenin said.
The computer was turned over to federal investigators in May. The patrol has found flight records for 2003 and 2004, but they have been unable to find them for 2005.
Republicans respond after the jump.
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Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, who has been calling for an independent investigation, criticized the patrol's delay in seeking an independent review.
"Governor Perdue and Attorney General Cooper’s actions so far do not inspire public confidence. It is hard to tell if incompetence or conflicts of interest from investigating a fellow Democrat are to blame for their failure to actively pursue an independent investigation," Berger said.
Berger said the issue should be brought before legislative oversight hearings and a special prosecutor should be appointed.
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Re: Captain's actions lead to new inquiry
How stupid does Reuben Young think we are? How stupid does he think the N&O's Dan Kane, who wrote the original story about the investigation, is? The answer is, Reuben thinks we're idiots, but we're not. Come on, Reuben, are you saying it was okay to "delete records to clear up space," which was what was in the investigative report that you used to decide to send Trooper Melvin back to active duty - overseeing the department's computers? But, it wasn't okay if the administrative assistant said there wasn't a space problem. Young, you are an attorney and you should know better. It is a violation of state law to destroy public records, period. The investigative report showed that's what occurred. You just thought you could continue the coverup. Remember, Reuben, the coverup is always worse than the crime. Are you still working for Mike Easley? If you are, and that sure appears to be the case, Bev should show you the door.