A Betrayal of Truth
February 18th, 2010Let’s review the actions of the highest ranking law enforcement officer in Pitt County, Sheriff Mac Manning, this week. First, he places a paid advertisement in the local paper. This advertisement includes his personal opinions and half-truths aimed at a grieving mother who lost her son under the worst imaginable circumstances. Second, he denies knowing the misdeeds of one of his officers on a televised interview. Third, he attempts to take the “high road” by asking his political adversary to run a clean campaign after Mac himself supplies inaccuracies and half-truths to local news media. Fourth, he deems it necessary to defend his actions and inactions related to Stacey’s death investigation three months prior to the democratic primary for Pitt County Sheriff versus during the last fifty-one months.
Please allow us an opportunity to examine each of these actions starting with Mac’s paid advertisement that ran in the Daily Reflector February 17, 2010. The accusation made by Mac in the advertisement of Barbara Pollard’s lawsuit being a “politically motivated smear campaign” demonstrates both arrogance and a betrayal of the community he is sworn to protect. Rest assured neither Barbara nor her immediate family have political aspirations. Far from it in fact. They desperately wish they could live their lives as they did prior to Stacey’s death. Perhaps Mac’s attempts to portray Barbara Pollard’s as a “politically motivated smear campaign” director are those of a desperate man who would like nothing more than to shift the public focus away from himself and the events surrounding Stacey’s death and onto someone who Mac may view as unable to defend herself in the local media. We would like to offer Mac a suggestion. Focus your efforts related to Barbara Pollard more on asking her forgiveness for your actions and inactions surrounding Stacey’s death and less on using Stacey Pollard’s death and Barbara Pollard’s grief for political gain and spin.
Next we’ll examine Mac’s denial of being aware or privy to the results of Michelle’s polygraph. It is apparent Mac has an incredibly bad/convenient memory or he has a belief no one will examine his comments to the local media for accuracy. Why believe this? Did Mac not state in an interview on WCTI-TV 12 that he was unaware of Michelle Pollard failing an SBI administered lie detector? Did he not state in his paid advertisement that he was given the SBI investigative report into Stacey’s death in January of 2007. Perhaps he “forgot” the results of Michelle’s polygraph tests were included in this report. These results demonstrated someone being dishonest. Apparently, the dishonest conclusion was accurate since Michelle changed her version of Stacey’s death within minutes of failing the polygraph. How telling is it that Mac suddenly developed a rapid and repetitive eye twitch while simultaneously losing nearly all cognitive skills while he attempted and finally inaccurately answered questions relating to his knowledge of her failing the polygraph?
And what of Mac’s attempts to take the “high road” and run a clean campaign? It is clear to us this offer was made many days late and many, many dollars short. This offer was made after he inaccurately portrayed a grieving mother as a “politically motivated smear campaign” director, twisted the truth within an inch of it’s life and danced around facts so often that we are left to wonder if he has any sense of what truth and integrity mean.
Mac’s proclamation that he initiated the SBI investigation is a classic example of his manipulative skills. Until the January 24, 2006 meeting between Pitt County Sheriff’s Officers Lee Moore, Karen Kilpatrick, Paula Dance and members of Stacey’s family, Mac Manning had made no effort to contact the SBI for investigative purposes. Only after Stacey’s family confronted Sheriff Manning’s office with their knowledge of Michelle’s romantic affairs with her superiors and Lee Moore’s resulting admission to the stunned family of Stacey, that he had indeed had a romantic relationship with Michelle Pollard, would Lee Moore even consider taking Stacey’s families concerns and request for an independant investigation by the SBI to Mac. We firmly hold that Lee Moore’s admission to this affair was the sole reason for Mac’s reluctant request to the SBI. It’s also unbelievable that Mac would deny Lee Moore’s admission in a letter to Barbara Pollard. Again, has Mac not reviewed the SBI file he has held for over three years?
Mac’s statement that he viewed the manner in which the topless pictures of his deputy, Michelle Pollard, were revealed as more tasteless than the behavior of Michelle herself, reveal the apparent difficulty he had/has in producing sound judgement where Michelle’s actions are concerned. Would Mac be willing to admit that the image of Stacey lifeless and floating in a pool is infinitely more disturbing than Michelle publicly exposing herself? Or, would Mac at least be willing to admit that Michelle’s lying to an SBI and PCSO investigation into her husband’s death and her repeated changing of her account of Stacey’s death were more disturbing than Michelle’s topless pictures? We, as do most, believe the pictures pale in comparison to Michelle’s actions related to Stacey’s death.
We also find it incredulous that Mac conveniently leaves out the fact that Stacey Pollard’s death certificate was changed to that of an UNKNOWN CAUSE due to INCONSISTENT HISTORIES. Yes the original certificate listed Stacey’s death as accidental but was CHANGED in December of 2008 after the Medical Examiner became aware of Michelle’s polygraph results and her differing accounts of the events surrounding Stacey’s death. Do you think Mac contacted the Medical Examiner to share this information? We wish he did.
We also are left to wonder why Mac would choose this week to defend his actions/inactions surrounding Stacey’s death. If, as he states, Stacey’s death received a fair and thorough investigation by his Office, why has he recently chosen to defend his actions related to the investigation? If Mac’s investigation into Stacey’s death was so thorough, why did his investigation not catch Michelle lying to MAC’S investigators and changing her accounts? Why did MAC’S investigation not show Michelle’s continuous affinity for associating with convicted felons in romantic and social settings? Why did MAC’s investigation not expose Michelle participating in a sexual threesome the night of Stacey’s BURIAL? Why did MAC’S investigation not result in a drastically revised DEATH CERTIFICATE or reveal so many things that were OBVIOUS to others investigating Stacey’s death? We are left with one inescapable conclusion. MAC’S investigation into Stacey’s death revealed nothing because the intent of the investigation was to reveal nothing. After all, if he directed this investigation to truly be complete and thorough, wouldn’t it reveal all this and paint a negative picture of his best “gang investigator?” You bet it would.
And why would Mac make claims that it was the responsibility of others to initiate the process of calling the SBI? Is anything MAC’S responsibility where Michelle is concerned or where Stacey’s death is concerned? The ONLY people who can refer a case to the SBI for investigation are a District Attorney, a City Police Chief or a COUNTY SHERIFF. Did Mac not occupy one of these positions when Stacey was found lifeless in his pool? Did anyone else on his staff occupy a position that would allow them to contact the SBI? Could anyone try harder to avoid responsibility for his actions or inactions than Mac?
Obviously, we wish Stacey’s family had been able to avoid the pain Sheriff Manning’s actions have inflicted on them. We adamantly beleive Sheriff Manning should leave Stacey and Barbara Pollard out of the politics of Pitt County, but we STRONGLY believe Sheriff Manning should have to answer for his and Michelle’s actions surrounding Stacey’s death until Sheriff Manning can deliver an accurate and truthful account of what happened at Stacey’s home November 18, 2005. Yes, it has always been the desire of Stacey’s family not to become “public” people. However, the actions of Mac Manning have forced Stacey’s family to become just that at times. Maybe someday we will have answers, a Sheriff’s Department led by someone deserving of the public’s and a greiving mother’s trust and some degree of peace. Someday we may……but not today.
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