Guy quietly receives state award

Robert Lee Guy, the former head of the state's troubled probation department, was handed one of the state's highest honors.

But there's no official record of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine being given to Guy, who came under fierce criticism for his management of the N.C. Division of Community Corrections, Sarah Ovaska reports.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is considered the highest civilian honor that a North Carolina governor can bestow. Then-Gov. Mike Easley signed it Jan. 9, the day before he left office.

Guy said he received the award at a Feb. 13 retirement party in Fayetteville for his 31 years of work with the probation system.

More after the jump.

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Guy served as head of the probation department for 11 years. During his tenure, a News & Observer investigation found, 580 probationers had killed in an eight-year period. Guy wasn't offered a position in Gov. Beverly Perdue's administration.

A picture of state Sen. Tony Rand presenting the award to Guy ran in April in the Clayton News-Star. But a Perdue spokesman said the governor's office had no record of Guy's award.

Guy said he has the award framed on his wall but he doesn't know what happened behind the scenes to hand it to him.

"I was just nominated. I can't tell you how I got it," he said.

Easley couldn't be reached for comment. He did not return a message left at the McGuireWoods law firm where he's now employed.