Candidates for the Alamance-Burlington school board might be expected to know better than to run afoul of the law – or to get mixed up in civil ligation that could come back to bite them on the campaign trail.
Even so, court files show that all but one of the seven contenders in this year’s race for the school board have some sort of blemish in either their criminal or their civil court records. Most of these cases involve minor motor vehicle violations that were, by and large, reduced or dismissed by the courts. But one candidate has also been implicated in other criminal matters, including a 25-year-old conviction for passing a bad check. Meanwhile, a current member of the Alamance Burlington school board has a civil court record that includes tax liens and other tax-related actions brought by both the IRS and the N.C. Department of Revenue.
In order to get the most comprehensive account of each candidate’s court history, The Alamance News relied on North Carolina’s eCourts portal to obtain both civil and criminal court files from Alamance County and beyond. This service went live in Alamance County a few months ago and currently contains records from 27 counties that, in addition to Alamance, also include Guilford, Orange, Durham, and Wake.
Although very much a work in progress, the eCourts portal has allowed The Alamance News to compile reasonably complete legal history for each of this year’s board candidates. The only one who produced no hits at all is charter school developer Peter Morcombe. The data obtained for the other six contenders appear below:
Sandy Ellington-Graves
The state’s eCourts system contains two records in its criminal database for the current chairman of the Alamance Burlington school board. Both of these entries concern traffic charges that the defendant incurred within Alamance County.
According to the available records, a state trooper stopped the then-Sandra Christine Ellington on April 19, 2002 for going 54 in a 45 mile an hour zone. The defendant reportedly pleaded guilty to a lesser offense on June 3, 2002.
Then, on October 16, 2017, a state trooper pulled over Sandra Ellington-Graves for going 50 in a 35-mile-an-hour zone. Ellington-Graves was also cited for an expired registration card or tag during this stop. Both charges were eventually dismissed on December 1 of that year after the defendant was deemed to have “complied” with state law.
Ellington-Graves has a much more considerable footprint within the eCourts trove of civil court records. These entries include several tax actions that federal and state agencies have taken against her individually or in tandem with her husband.
On July 18, 2011, the IRS filed a tax lien against “Sandra Ellington” and Justin V. Graves of 6349 Whitney Road in Graham for the sum of $31,955.22.
On May 13, 2016, the IRS hit the same two defendants with another tax lien for $18,641.30. Court records indicate both balances to be outstanding.
On September 7, 2021, the N.C. Department of Revenue recorded a tax liability for $24,307.66 against Sandra C. Ellington of 6349 Whitney Road in Graham. The action was cancelled on December 21, 2023 when the debt was “paid and satisfied in full.”
The state department of revenue nevertheless proceeded to record a second tax liability against Ellington on October 8, 2021 – this time for a sum of $46,319.61. Court records indicate that this balance was outstanding as of July 1, 2024.
Ellington-Graves has assured The Alamance News that she and her husband have by no means shirked these tax liabilities. “The liens are there, and we are resolving them,” she told the newspaper last week.
Another legal complication in Ellington-Graves’ court file concerns a lawsuit that Iberia bank filed against her and Justin Von Graves on July 23, 2014. This claim, which was also lodged against the Tilghman Beach & Racquet Club Condominium Association, demanded a financial payment of $151,103.07. A judgment in this amount was entered into the court record without trial. An additional $118,001.15 was tacked onto this sum on April 24, 2024. With the inclusion of interest, which amounted to $120,247.05 as of July 1 of this year, the balance for Ellington-Graves comes to $389.606.27.
Court records indicate no payments toward this balance from any of the three defendants as of July 1.
Ellington-Graves said that this civil claim by Iberia bank concerns an investment property that she and her husband once owned along the North Carolina coast. She added that this vacation home ultimately went into foreclosure as she and her husband dealt with the fallout from the global financial crisis that followed the collapse of the housing market in 2008.
“As a realtor married to a builder, we were hit especially hard,” she recalled. “We were struggling at the time just to survive.”
Also in the eCourts repository is a divorce action that the future school board chairman filed in Orange County against Jeffrey Todd Holland on October 11, 1999. The case was eventually moved to Alamance County where it was resolved on June, 7, 2000.
On March 21, 2002, Sandra Christine Ellington Holland filed the paperwork in Alamance County to resume use of her maiden name.
Tameka Harvey
Tameka Lashea Harvey seems to have the most voluminous record of the seven school board candidates based on the data available from North Carolina’s eCourts system. These entries include two misdemeanor violations – including one for passing a bad check that Harvey incurred nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Court records indicate that Tameka Lashea Harvey was arrested on August 21, 1999 after the Huffman Oil Company accused her of tendering a worthless check on April 15 of that year. Harvey pleaded guilty to this charge on February 4, 2000, and the court ordered her to pay a sum of $120 that included $34 in financial restitution.
Harvey, who was in her teens at the time she incurred this charge, recalls that the basis for this court action was really quite paltry.
“It was for 5 dollars, and it wasn’t intentional,” she told The Alamance News. “But I took care of it.”
Another case in Harvey’s court file concerns a mean-tempered pet that apparently landed its owner in the dock about two decades ago.
On April 12, 2005, the Haw River police department charged the future school board candidate with letting a dangerous dog run at large. Harvey was also accused of exceeding the maximum number of dogs allowed in a household and for failing to have current tags to show that the dog’s rabies vaccinations were up to date.
Although Harvey pleaded not guilty to all three offenses, she was found guilty on each count on August 10, 2005. As a condition of her sentence, Harvey was reportedly ordered “not [to] allow [the] dog, Dozier, to be out of [her] home unless [it was] leashed and muzzled.”
Harvey’s record also includes a number of motor vehicle citations that date as far back as 1998.
On August 7 of that year, Harvey was cited in Alamance County for driving without a license and having an expired registration card or tag. Both charges were dismissed on August 31, 1998 after the defendant demonstrated her “compliance” with state law.
On April 28, 2002, Elon’s municipal police department ticketed Harvey for going 44 in a 35 mile an hour zone. She pleaded guilty to a lesser offense on June 27 of the same year.
On August 23, 2004, Burlington’s police department cited Harvey for driving without auto insurance or a current registration card and/or tag. Harvey pleaded guilty to the insurance charge on October 27 and received a deferred judgment for that offense, while the second charge was dropped altogether.
On March 10, 2006, Harvey once again found herself in the sights of the Burlington police department – this time for driving with a revoked license. Harvey pleaded guilty to the charge on October 26 of the same year and received a deferred judgment.
On September 14, 2012, the office of Alamance County’s sheriff cited Harvey for failing to properly secure a passenger under the age of 16. The charge was ultimately dismissed on October 19, 2012. Harvey was cited for this same offense again by a state trooper on April 28, 2018. This charge was dismissed on June 1, 2018 – although court records indicate that she did receive a formal “warning” for the offense.
On June 16, 2021, a state trooper cited Harvey for failing to fasten her own seatbelt while she was reportedly caught going 85 in a 65 mile an hour zone. The speeding offense was ultimately reduced to improper equipment on August 11 of the same year while the seat belt charge was jettisoned without a guilty plea.
Harvey also appears to have incurred several civil torts that were heard in Alamance County courts.
On January 4, 2008, the Schewel Furniture Company sued a Tameka Harvey with an unspecified middle name over “the possession of personal property.” The case was “discontinued’ on April 4 of the same year.
On August 25, 2017, Lendmark Financial took Tameka Harvey to court over an unpaid balance. Again, there is no middle name specified in the court file. The plaintiff eventually prevailed in this case when the matter went before a magistrate on September 13, 2013. Lendmark awarded an initial judgment of $3,992.59, although court records refer to an additional assessment of $2,113.34 on April 24, 2024. This recent addition has brought the defendant’s total balance to $8,953.70 after accounting for interest, which stood at $2,172.68 as of July 1 of this year. The eCourts system doesn’t record any payment or credit or the part of the defendant.
On January 12, 2018, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. foreclosed on a deed of trust held by Tameka L. Harvey. The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed this foreclosure action on January 25, 2019.
Meanwhile, the eCourts database contains several eviction actions that were filed against Tameka Harvey in Alamance County.
The earliest of these cases was filed by the Burlington Housing Authority on May 31, 2000 for unpaid rent. The case came before a magistrate on June 14 of the same year and resulted in a judgment against the defendant. A subsequent appeal gave rise to a “companion” case in district court that ran its course when it was “denied” by a judge on August 30.
On December 15, 2000, Wynnefield Properties sought a summary “ejectment” against Tameka Harvey for money she reportedly owed. This claim led to a judgment against the defendant on January 4, 2001.
On June 19, 2006, KDB Properties sought a summary “ejectment” for money owed that ended in the case’s voluntary dismissal on June 28. KDB filed another, similar action on May 9, 2007. This time, the plaintiff obtained a favorable judgment on June 6, 2007. Court records indicate that the defendant was initially assessed $1,880, while an additional $2,433.01 was taxed against her on April 24, 2024. Factoring in interest, which stood at $2,459.76 as of July 1, her total balance climbs to $6,772.77. No payments or credits appear in the eCourts database for the defendant.
Harvey recalls that the first of these cases – the one brought by the Burlington Housing Authority – was less about back rent than an unauthorized visitor who had allegedly dropped by her apartment.
“They said that someone on their trespassing list that had been in there,” she elaborated, “and that was the reason for the eviction.”
The candidate added that she doesn’t recollect the other court actions. She went on to note that she currently lives in a home that she owns.
Civil court records in Guilford County allude to an uncomplicated divorce that Emmanuel Adjei-Dapaah filed against Tameka L. Harvey on October 13, 2011. The divorce was granted on December 14 of the same year.
Tara Raggett
Tara Ann Raggett has a few minor traffic citations on her court record. These include a speeding ticket that a state trooper in Alamance County gave her on June 8, 2019 for going 50 in a 35 mile an hour zone. The charge was ultimately dismissed on August 2 after the court decided to let her off with a warning.
On March 15, 2024, another state trooper reportedly caught the school board candidate driving on the left side of the center line. The charge was dropped on May 24.
Meanwhile, court records in Guilford County indicate that on November 1, 2000, a Tara A. Raggett of Mebane was pulled for going 51 in a 35 mile an hour zone. The charge was reduced to improper equipment on December 6 of that year.
Raggett also made a foray into family court when she filed for divorce from her then husband Christopher James Raggett on September 4, 2013. An Alamance County court granted the divorce on October 24 of the same year.
Seneca Damon Rogers
Seneca Rogers has been cited for a couple of minor traffic infractions in Alamance County.
On January 10, 2007, a state trooper ticketed him for having an expired registration card or tag. The charge was dismissed on February 26 once the defendant showed he had “complied” with the registration requirement.
On May 29, 2017, a Burlington police officer pulled Rogers over for going 74 in a 65 mile an hour zone. The defendant pleaded “responsible” to this charge on June 29 of the same year and received a deferred judgment from a district court judge.
Court records also indicate that Rogers received some earlier traffic citations in Guilford County. These include a speeding ticket issued on February 20, 2000 for going 44 in a 35 mile an hour zone. The defendant pleaded guilty to a lesser offense on March 20 of that year and received a deferred judgment from a district court judge.
On October 2, 2000, Rogers incurred several traffic violations when he was stopped by a state trooper in Guilford County. The charges that arose from this stop include driving without an operator’s license, an expired registration card or tag, a failure, on the part of the driver, to fasten his seat belt. All three of these charges were dismissed when the case came up for a hearing on October 31, 2000.
Corrie Miller Shepherd
Court records show that Corrie Shepherd has twice been cited for an expired registration card or tag. She was first written up for this offense by a Graham police officer on May 14, 2018; and the charge was dismissed on June 25 of that year due to the defendant’s “compliance.” She incurred the same charge from a state trooper in Alamance County on February 2, 2020. Her subsequent compliance with state law resulted in the charge’s dismissal on March 11.
Avery Harris Wagoner
Avery Wagoner has a single entry in the eCourts data base of criminal records. This case concerns a speeding ticket he received from a state trooper in Alamance County on July 14, 2013. Cited for 80 in a 65 mile an hour zone, Wagoner was able to get off with a “warning” when the case came up for a hearing. Court records indicate that the charge was dismissed on August 9 of the same year.
Wagoner also has a lone entry in the eCourts database of civil records – although this case is one that he actually courted himself.
According to court records, the future school board candidate filed a motor vehicle negligence claim against Jabier Ronquillo Arceo on August 18, 1999 in Johnston County. The case was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff on October 17 of the following year.
Donna Davis Westbrooks
Donna Davis Westbrooks is the only candidate other than Peter Morcombe with no criminal court records in Alamance County. Westbrooks nevertheless has an entry in Beaufort County that harks back to a speeding ticket she got on January 15, 2005.
According to court records, Westbrooks received a ticket from the Washington municipal police department for going 51 in a 35 mile an hour zone. On January 31, 2005, she pleaded “responsible” to a lesser charge of improper equipment.
The state’s civil court database also contains a couple of entries from a special proceeding that Westbrook initiated on April 26, 2005 in order to obtain legal guardianship over Deanna Davis.
See previous coverage of the criminal and civil court cases against in other local races:
County commissioners: https://alamancenews.com/commissioner-candidates-and-the-law-criminal-civil-court-records-reveal-past-infractions-cases/
Judicial candidates: https://alamancenews.com/judicial-candidates-have-occasionally-been-on-the-other-side-of-the-bench-in-criminal-civil-court/
