At the very end of the fourteen day period allowed for filing an appeal, Brooke M. Covington, Justin B. Covington and Sarah C. Anderson each filed appeals this past Thursday, during the last half hour that the court was open. Each defendant filed two notices. One notice was appealing Judge Pope’s order “entered August 27, 2015 granting the State’s motion to dismiss the notice of appeal filed by (each) defendant on August 20, 2015.” The second notice was to appeal the order of Judge Pope “entered August 27, 2015 denying defendant’s motion to reconsider order disqualifying counsel.” (Use BACK ARROW to retunr to this post)
Brooke Covington appeals
Justin Covington appeals
Sarah Covington Anderson appeals

Questions pop up all over the place from these notices. Who helped prepare them? What is the goal for these filings? What is the purpose of filing without representation? Rule 4 of the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure is used to justify these appeals. A layman’s reading does suggest that the defendant’s CAN file these appeals, but should they? How will Judge Pope view them in light of his most recent Order which contain these words pertaining to the Motion to Reconsider;

“After a review of the Court file, review of the State’s and the Defendant’s Memorandum, case law, consideration of legal arguments by counsel for the State and the Defendants, it is HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED AS FOLLOWS: The Defendant’s Motion to Reconsider the Order of August 6, 2015 filed by the Defendants on August 20, 2015 be and is hereby DENIED. “

Concerning the State’s Motion to Dismiss the Notice of Appeal;

“After a review of the Court file, review of the State’s and the Defendant’s Memorandum, case law, consideration of legal arguments by counsel for the State and the Defendants, it is HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED AS FOLLOWS: The State of North Carolina’s Motion to Dismiss the Notice of Appeal filed by the Defendants on August 20, 2015 be and is hereby ALLOWED.

In other words, the answer was “NO.” The Tomblin, Farmer Morris Firm (TFM) and their associates were disqualified. The appeal of that order was denied. Nevertheless, here we go again. Is this a stall until the three can secure independent counsel for each of them? Does anyone believe that this move was not somehow run through the counsel in Jane Whaley’s office where one or more of the TFM group was present? Who led them to Rule 4?

All this does in my mind is pretty much assure that Assistant District Attorney Garland Byers will have an answer this coming week. This matter should make the docket for September 21st when the Motion for Assignment of Judge and the Second Motion to Disqualify Counsel will be heard. Oh, there will be more fun that day… In light of that- please read on.

WOFF is a Crime Scene….

At least that is one of the questions which will be decided by the Matthew Fenner trial. For many survivors and many members still inside, the question has already been answered. WOFF is an ongoing, unprocessed, ever evolving crime scene with many victims. The crimes I speak of in many cases result in the destroyed emotions and agonizing destruction of intimate, family relationships. The evidence of these egregious acts lay buried deep in hearts and minds of members often covered over in religious terms which fail to soothe the wounds. Many survivors tell me in confidence of the nightmares and dreams which they endure as a result of their time in the confines of WOFF.

Other violations consist of more outward physical acts. Those crimes are the ones which bring injury so deep it often times generates a response for the victim to dissociate and cover-up, disengage and try to forget or rewrite the scene in order to avoid the pain and face the injury. On the one hand, this is a survival response, on the other – it only delays the processing and healing of the trauma.

By writing, Locked in, I am hoping to further the healing for myself and others. This book will be released on September 21st. Early on the 21st, I will post links to purchase on my blog, Facebook page and send it out by email for those that have supplied me their email address. A portion of each sale will go to the Faith Freedom Fund.

Also, for those that purchase Locked in on September 21st, there is an added bonus. After you purchase, send me a screen shot of your receipt or your order number; I will return by email the link to a free download of the book which helped me see through the haze of WOFF. This book is out of print, but the .pdf is free and I offer the link as a way to say “Thank you” for buying my book on September 21st.

Please, share this with your friends and anyone who has ever had a question about what goes on inside of WOFF. Locked in will be the answer to many of the questions. Of course, I expect it to raise more questions and further discussion as to how members live on the inside. I hope you will take advantage of this offer and order the book a week from Monday. Thank you…

Season for Changes rolls on…

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Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it. Though their may not be known yet.

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Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 536.