UPDATED: A registered sex offender in North Carolina who was elected as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in Tampa has resigned from the position. The move came an hour after The News & Observer noted his criminal record in a Dome post Thursday morning.
Harvey West Jr., 41, a longtime resident of Plymouth in eastern North Carolina, was nominated by Republicans in the 3rd Congressional District to serve as an alternate. He would have gone to the national convention to formally choose Mitt Romney as the party's nominee if another delegate was unable to attend.
In an email Thursday to N.C. GOP Chairman Robin Hayes, West said he was honored and surprised at being selected as a delegate but was resigning the position due to recent attempts by political opponents to "us(e) him as a weapon." Party spokesman Rob Lockwood said the resignation was accepted.
The state party has limited influence over delegate selection. Republicans in each Congressional district choose their delegates in an independent election.
West pleaded guilty in 2000 to five counts of taking indecent liberties with children. When released from state custody in 2006, he was required to register as a sex offender and will spend at least a decade on North Carolina’s registry.
West is also a volunteer for various campaigns -- including the Secretary of State's race -- and plays an active role in local politics.
One of the campaigns he has helped is Republican Ed Goodwin’s bid for secretary of state against Democrat Elaine Marshall. Goodwin acknowledged West's role in the campaign, saying he has helped with a range of activities on a volunteer basis. Goodwin, a former federal law enforcement officer, said he sees no problem with the arrangement.
“Everyone has made mistakes,” Goodwin said during an interview Wednesday when asked about West's involvement. “He’s paid his debt to society. What else can he do? What good would it do to turn our back and keep him from participating in society at all?”
After West's resignation as an alternate delegate, Goodwin said he stands by his statements the day before: "If I want forgivenes myself, I must be willing to forgive," he said.
Bob Steinburg, a candidate for state House in northeastern District 1, was pictured in a newspaper alongside West as results of May’s primary election were released. Steinburg said West is not a paid or volunteer member of his staff but said he bought shirts from a company run by West’s wife earlier this year and has crossed paths occasionally through politics.
“I didn’t evaluate the facts in the case, but this is one of those things that really grind me,” Steinburg said. “This race, the way it should be, is about me and my opponent."
West was 28 when he pleaded guilty.
In an interview, West said he did not commit the crimes to which he pleaded guilty and only did so to avoid risking decades behind bars.
Officials in Beaufort County, where the crimes were committed, were not able to immediately provide West’s case file and court records because they have been moved into storage. North Carolina law describes the offense of taking indecent liberties with a child as taking or attempting to take “any immoral, improper or indecent liberties” with anyone less than 16 years old – or “lewd or lascivious” acts with a child.
“There’s no way you can defend yourself … this is who I am, and this is what happened to me," West said. "I was given my right to vote back, and I have a right to the political process. When do I get to live my life?”
Comments
harvey west jr
August 3, 2012 - 8:36pm — nonkleinhe plead guilty to sex crimes against children that is all I have to know he is scum
Harvey
August 3, 2012 - 6:34pm — Little_r_republicanIn fact, he is such a sociopath, that I wouldn't be one bit surprised if the defending comments here are he himself posting!!
Harvey West Jr
August 3, 2012 - 6:24pm — Little_r_republicanOMG!!! Are you kidding me???? Little Harvey has done nothing but completely alienate and disband the Washington county republican party. After the families coup on the executive committee failed miserably, and they were all thrown out. Nice try West's, bye bye! Then the remainder of the committee stepped down and let them have the party that they so desperately sought. Now where is it??? When was the last meeting???? Did anyone show??? Nope! But ohhh thank god for little Harvey. Some shining beacon. More people have changed their party affiliation just because of him. Oh and by the way, where are all the signs for the candidates this year???? None in the county yet?? And are there anyone that will work the polls this year?? Seems there is no one around anymore. You people keep living in la la land believing that this person has done anything other than destroy what little bit of republicanism this county ever had.
harvey west jr child molester
August 3, 2012 - 3:35pm — nonkleinHarvey west jr has been terrible for washington county republican party. 90 % of the board members have quite because of pychopathic actions and all that is left are his family members.
Sounds Sharky To Me
August 3, 2012 - 2:50pm — NotFooledAre you saying West has never participated in a shark fest himself when there's been blood in the water?
When it comes to sharks reacting to blood in the water maybe for West it's Karma and what goes around has come around?
Harvey West Jr.
August 3, 2012 - 9:40am — tolditlikeitwasWell, I can see the sharks reacting to blood in the water. Harvey West, Jr. has been a bright and rising star in an area in which such people, for so long, hid their lights under a bushel lest the Democrat power structure turn out those lights. Harvey was one of those who helped develop fora where Republicans, of any stripe, could come together, share their frustrations, and organize to allow their lights and voices to be seen and heard. Republican candidates have begun poping up in races all over North Eastern North Carolina where they were never seen before. Republican candidates from the area even offered themselves for Council of State offices. Some even have a good chance of winning.
It appears that a Democrat blog, NC Blue, was the first to begin the attack on Ed Godwin who won the primary race for Secretary of State. They used Harvey as a bludgen to stop Godwin. Those who would engage in this type of character assassination for political purposes are beneth contempt. I stand with Harvey, and those who, far more elequently than I, have risen to his defence. Harvey - You, your good wife and your mom and dad should stand tall and know that there are a lot of us out here who believe in you and hope you will again bring your spirit and talents the political scene in Eastern North Carolina.
Boo hoo
August 3, 2012 - 4:08am — Little_r_republicanWith everyone crying the blues for Harvey on here either don't know him or just living life with blinders on. I could care less why he took the deal, if he took the deal, who told him to take the deal. If he would just pick ONE story an stick to it, someone other than you sheep might believe him. He is a pathological liar. You never know if or when he is telling the truth. He needs help, and the rest of you can keep your heads in the sand. I know this man, and someone needs to slow this little Napoleon down a little bit.
Plea Deals
August 2, 2012 - 11:53pm — yellowroseladyIf you don't know how plea deals work let me explain. A person can be accused of a sexual offense at any time and by anybody. Now it gets really interesting....in a sexual case the "alleged perpertrator" is deemed guilty by mere accusation. I'm talking generalities here not specific to this person. Now of course as a condition of "due process" a public defender is appointed to those who do not have approximately $50,000 to defend themselves via a private attorney. The public defenders, as we all know are overburdened and underpaid. So a few days before the trial the defender will advise you....this is what you are up against....the maximum of 30 years and if the female gets on the stand and starts crying it is all over for you. Now, you should consider a plea deal and they are offering XX years. The judge does not like his court tied up and always prefers a "deal" and budget for federal prosecutors is 7 times more than defenders. The incentive program is pretty compelling for these folks too. So, whether you were guilty of the crime or not you are terrified and takes the plea.
You might remember a school teacher who was accused of inappropriate behavior by one of his female students. He hired an attorney resulting in a $100,000 legal bill and was under suspension from his teaching. After he was acquitted the teacher union didn't help him pay the attorney fee and last I heard he had not been reinstated at the school. Now here is the "funny thing" if there is one. All the school or legal system folks had to do was look on the girl's Facebook page where she said it was all a "joke" because she was mad that he would not play her favorite song in gym.
There are already over 763,000 men, women and children (as young as 8 years of age in some states) required to register due to "crimes" like urinating in public, streaking, sexting, prostitution, viewing suggestive or abusive images of anyone 18 years old or younger, Romeo & Juliet relationships, solicitation, false accusations by a soon-to-be ex-wife, angry girlfriend or spiteful student, playing doctor, rape and incest.
Now if you multiply that 763,000 by 2 or 3 family members you can quickly see there are well over 1,500,000 wives, children, mothers, girlfriends, grandmothers and other loved ones suffering the collateral damage of being beaten up, harassed, slandered, the wife frequently loses her job, the family is asked to leave their church and other organizations, signs are put in the yard, flyers are placed on neighborhood doors by self-righteous individuals who have no real knowledge of who they should fear (Jerry Sandusky types). Read and research for yourself (Justice Policy Institute, Human Rights Watch - No Easy Answers, Jill Levenson articles and studies, Rockwood Psychological Group from Canada and various other documented pieces.
Lastly, my Bible says something about "he who is without sin casting the first stone!" So, ask Harvey West if he has remorse for whatever he did with regard to these two children and my guess would be that he does so you will then have to find another reason to de-rail a campaign.
Vicki Henry
Women Against Registry dot com
Debt has been paid
August 2, 2012 - 10:46pm — NorthernsoundsT ThThe point is that This man has paid his debt to society, if he was guilty or the offense committed or not, and he has every right as anyone else to be an active, productive part of society. I'd like to share some information that has helped me move from ignorance and stupidity to knowledge and forgiveness.
As an adult survivor of sexual abuse, I have to say that you are only a victim of your circumstance, if you choose to be. You can choose to forgive and heal or you can continue to be a victim and never move on with life, the choice is up to you. And yes, you do have a choice. Is it easy? No. But it can be done.
Our societies “victim mentality” is poisonous to everyone. It keeps people down, negative, self-centered and entitled. It breeds un-forgiveness, anger, bitterness and revenge keeping it fresh and forefront in our minds “re-victimizing” the person and making it hard for them to move on. And when the “victim” does find strength to forgive and being to heal, moving from “victim” to “survivor”, society all of a sudden becomes angry. Society has no interest in the “victim” recovering, let alone the person who commits a crime, and it shows by our laws.
As a society we need to move beyond "victimization". There's life to live and it is way too short to get caught up in the "victim mentality”. I'm a very successful woman, a mom of two beautiful children, a daughter, a sister, a forgiver and most importantly a Christ follower. And as a survivor, I believe that once a person has paid their debt to society for whatever crime they've committed, sexual or not, that they are now free to live life and be an active part of society.
Recidivism on sex crime is 3.5% while the selling of illegal weapons and drugs is 78.8% and robbery/burglary is 74.4%. 95% of all sex crimes happen within the family unit or someone close to the family and is not reported nor will it ever be reported due to our laws and the shame it carries. People protect their family, no matter how wrong or right it is, and those who need help will not get it because of our laws. Our laws punish they do not promote help or healing. Our laws do not make us any safer nor do they prevent crime from happening. If they prevented crime and dealt with the heart issues that cause crime, our prisons would not be full, we wouldn’t have to start civilly committing people due to the overloaded prison system and there would be no crime.
I work with females that are “alleged” victims. And, more often than not, they are the perpetrator of the “alleged” crime. There are several reasons behind their behavior. Ranging from I lied to my parents about my boyfriend so I wouldn’t get in trouble, my home life sucks and wanted to get out hoping the “older” male would rescue them, to my ex pissed me off and this is payback, or did it just because they knew they could and they like the attention and sympathy they receive. Also many families do not approve of their daughter’s choice in a dating partner so here we go again, and the poor guy is slapped with a sexual crime if one was actually committed or not. Most sexual crimes in our country today are, unfortunately, false. And yes, your attorney will tell you to plead so they don't have to argue in court against a society that has already condemned one before all the facts are heard. She said, he said, no proof needed. The males are harassed, coerced, threatened and told horrid stories of treatment behind bars, and without hope of society believing them, they take the plea, so they won't go to prison. It’s the lesser of the two evils of the choices given to them. Plea and no prison time or go to trial where you will be convicted and you will go to prison. Society is tough on crime against children. You are guilty until proven innocent, especially if it was with a “child”. It has NOTHING, absolutely nothing to do with the truth.
So this leads us to 97% of Federal conviction rates are from plea bargains and 95% of State convictions rates are from plea bargains. There is something wrong with our system to have such high conviction rates which only benefit a few like law enforcement, lawyers, politicians and our government. It does not benefit society one bit.
There are also several no contact crimes that are considered sexual in nature without sexual intent that will land you on the registry, including but not limited to mooning someone. Most of these people on the registry are no more a child molester, pedophile, pervert, sociopath or rapist than you are. You and Joe public are unaware of it because the person is on the registry and the law states they are a sexual menace to society, which is far from the truth. So, ask the registrant their story before judging and condemning them.
Do you want a better society for all or are we going to stay being a victim of a very corrupt system that plays on peoples ignorance, stupidity and fear? Or are we going to be survivors willing to step out in faith and knowledge to fight and change our countries laws for all? The choice is yours.
??
August 2, 2012 - 10:22pm — ShellyStowI'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you are saying. What is guible? What is havey? What is babby? I'll try to respond to you if I can figure out what you are saying.
gop child molester&shelly stow
August 2, 2012 - 9:32pm — nonkleindear shelly stow you are a guible moron and a complete fool please have havey jr babby sit your children
Oh yes they do...
August 2, 2012 - 8:17pm — ShellyStowSir, or madam, I don't know who told you that an attorney will not allow a client to plead guilty if he is not guilty, but my suggestion to you is that if you ever need the services of an attorney, you have a friend with you at all times who is not as gullible as you must be. Attorneys frequently tell their clients that it is in their best interest to take the plea rather than going to trial and risking a lengthy prison sentence. In sexual assault cases this is especially true because no evidence other than the word of a complaining witness is needed, and juries tend to believe a sweet-faced girl saying that mean man touched me, and attorneys know this. You would not believe what attorneys will tell their clients. One, after taking many thousands of dollars from his client, who was innocent, and doing very little on the case, told him at the last minute that he just needed to plead guilty because there was nothing else he could do without another huge sum of money. The client was broke and hopeless; he took the plea.
Problems
August 2, 2012 - 7:20pm — Little_r_republicanFirst off, anyone who thinks that little Harvey is anything other than a sociopath, is dilusional. He has never told the same story twice about why he went to prison. He even stated one time that he was locked up as a political prisoner because he was a republican. And the other posters are right, he has never shown remorse and you will get to live your life as soon as the two girls forget what happened to them.
Now for Bob Steinberg, for you to outright lie like that, I hope you loose and loose big! Harvey West Jr. has worked on Bob's campaign the last time he ran and probably works on it this time. Harvey set up a fund raiser for Bob at Wine on the Roanoke two years ago. He is also the Vp of the Al-Pam Republican club in which Bob is the Pres. You should be ashamed of yourself and if you don't come clean, your political career should be over.
It's time to throw out these useless establishment dems and repubs and start electing true constitutional conservatives before we completely loose this country.
the issue is that the GOP
August 2, 2012 - 6:21pm — WilmingtonDemocratthe issue is that the GOP LEADERSHIP forced the state to spend multi millions putting gay marriage on the ballot when they should be worrying about jobs and education.
So the GOP is gonna have big government tell us how to conduct our personal lives and at the same time validate a sexual predator.
I agree that is is proper to promote rehabilitation but hypocritical that the same party that says big government should rule our personal lives has a sexual predator in a leadership position.
Remember, the Speaker's staff was out sleeping with married lobbyists at the exact same time it was promoting the gay marriage amendment.
gop sex offender
August 2, 2012 - 6:19pm — nonkleinin society we find some crimes much worst than others our children need to be protected. i known harvey west jr many years. over that time i have heard three different tales of what happen and in none of them has he ever stated he regreted his actions. as far as he being innocent no lawyer will allow a client to plead guilty if he is not guilty. mr west had a very expensive lawyer representing him. all this shows the low character of harvey west jr and still no remorse
What hypocrites
August 2, 2012 - 5:08pm — ShellyStow"...has resigned from the position. The move came an hour after The News & Observer noted his criminal record in a Dome post Thursday morning." It sounds as though the NewsObserver is bragging about its role in this disappointing turn of events. And I say disappointing because it is further verification that hypocricy is alive and well when it comes to those with criminal backgrounds, especially if the classification of offense was of a sexual nature. Every politician, every law enforcement entity, and every media outlet pays lip service to the ideal that the desired outcome for those who have committed crimes is rehabilitation and successful re-entry into society and even engaging in service to the community and society. And of course, this is the outcome that experts agree is the highest correlated with reduced recidivism. Then along comes Mr. West, a former offender who is doing exactly what we say we want, and society, led by the media, falls all over itself and each other in their attempts to discredit him. Mr. Goodwin seems to be one of the few exceptions. Mr. West resigned rather than allow himself to be used as part of a smear campaign, and in so doing shows himself to have more integrity than those who would use his past against him.
gop sex offender
August 2, 2012 - 3:43pm — nonkleinyou have to wonder of the judgement and integrity of canidates goodwin and steinburg. at least goodwin admits it, steinburg makes it sound like he does not know harvey west yet he appointed him his vp in a republican club he runs called al-pam
Typical of Republicans
August 2, 2012 - 2:57pm — NotaliberalDo as we say, not as we do. The one percent is above those laws that the little people have to follow.
harvey west jr
August 2, 2012 - 2:12pm — nonkleinharvey west jr has to this day shown no remorse at all. He wants his life back? what about the two young children he was convicted of molesting? Any polictian that has antthing to do with this vile person should hide their heads in shame
GOP - The Party of family
August 2, 2012 - 11:14am — WilmingtonDemocratGOP - The Party of family values paying staffers $150K to sleep with married lobbyists, using millions in taxpayer dollars to buy fabagerge eggs for their wifes and nominating a lobbyist as it's candidate for Governor!
All Bev did was underreport a flight.