Tag Archives: WOFF

Uncategorized, WOFFGATE

NC Court of Appeals to Review Judge Pope’s Orders (Court Docs +)

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Update in the Matthew Fenner Case:
The NC Court of Appeals granted the request for writ of certiorari submitted on September 15th by Josh Farmer on behalf of the three defendants, Brooke Covington, Justin Covington and Sarah Anderson. Rccatalyst.com reported this ruling on Monday. From the article which quotes the order:

“Defendants’ petition for writ of certiorari is allowed for the purpose of reviewing the order entered on 6 August 2015 by Judge Marvin Pope, Jr. granting the State’s motion to disqualify counsel and the order entered on 27 August 2015 by Judge Pope denying the Defendants’ motion for reconsideration. It appearing the defendants have retained appellate counsel and are not seeking court-appointed counsel, the appeal shall be deemed taken as of the date of this order. The record on appeal shall thereafter be settled as provided in Appellate Rule 11 and filed in the Court as provided by Appellate Rule 12.

Defendant’s petition for writ of supersedeas is also allowed… and all further trial court proceedings are hereby stayed pending the outcome of defendants’ appeal to this Court.”

Included in the quoted article is a copy of the docket sheet for the case showing 10/5/15 as the date of the ruling.

What does this mean? From a layman’s perspective, this means the trial could actually be delayed for several months at a minimum. It appears to me that the first step will be to acquire the transcripts from the Superior Court sessions on August 3rd and August 27th. Those could take up to 60 days from the date of the initial request for the transcripts. After those are submitted to the appropriate parties, there comes a set time frame for each party to the appeal to agree on the accuracy of the submitted materials.
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Books, Resources

Locked in – Daily Courier, Book Signings and Kindle

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Thursday, October 1, 2015- Austin Bailey of the Daily Courier published a story about my book, “Locked in.” He included a picture and a few quotes I gave him earlier in the day… Thank you, Austin, for contacting me and running the story. The response has been favorable. See article here.

Book Signings in Myrtle Beach, SC

For those familiar with my story, you know the role my mom took in helping me leave the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). I detailed the destruction of my family in the third part of “Locked in.” It seemed only fitting that my first appearance for a book signing would be among her friends, and students from her memoir writing classes. This past Friday afternoon, over fifty folks crowded into a room at Brightwater Retirement Community in Myrtle Beach. My mom introduced me by recapping the events surrounding my daughter’s graduation in June 2008. From there I began telling about my time in WOFF. I read the Dedication, Acknowledgement and Prologue to “Locked in.” The expressions on the faces of those listening let me know many were hearing about cult involvement for the first time. Before I ended, I shared about the work of the Faith Freedom Fund and asked for donations. Then, I opened the floor for questions. It has been a while since my last public speaking appearance and the occasional awkward moments of silence were uncomfortable for me, but did not seem to bother the listeners.

Saturday, we returned to the same room for a birthday party for my friend and resident of Brightwater. She is turning 100 years old on Tuesday. It was a festive occasion. I wore a special purple shirt in honor of her and that was new ground for me. There were more people than the room could hold as many relatives and friends dropped in to honor her. She requested a copy of “Locked in” and I was only too glad to oblige.
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Recap of Events, Motions, and Letters in Fenner Case as of 9/25/15 (court docs)

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There is a lot of ground to cover in this post. We will begin with a timeline of known events, filings and letters issued during the last few weeks. Some of these events have already been covered or mentioned here. Also, we will note which ones have been reported by Rccatalyst.com.

In summary, five defendants from the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) were indicted in January of this year on several charges including felony assault and second degree kidnapping stemming from events on January 27, 2013. The five defendants include Brooke M. Covington, Justin B. Covington, Sarah Covington Anderson, Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. and Adam Bartley. Tomblin, Farmer & Morris (TFM) started out as counsel for the five. After hearing a Motion to Disqualify TFM on August 3rd, Judge Marvin Pope issued an ORDER of Disqualification of TFM and their associates for representing any of the five. Adam Bartley and Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. have since secured counsel. Bartley’s attorney is Robert Denton and Robert Walker’s attorney is Matthew Cabe. Both attorneys practice in Morganton. TFM filed a Motion to Reconsider the Disqualification and took on Angela Beeker to argue for them. August 27th, Judge Pope issued an ORDER denying the Motion to Reconsider Disqualification.

9/11/15- Letter from Assistant District Attorney Garland Byers to Attorney Denton (not placed in court file until 9/18) (Rccatalyst.com 9/26) Byers explains the State’s position with Bartley’s bond and offered plea. Byers points out that Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) holds the security (land) for the bond and for any reason or no reason have the option to withdraw their security. This could land Bartley in jail until other means or considerations for a bond are made. The power that WOFF has in holding the bonds of all five defendants is a matter of concern or Byers and he is seeking a way of “eliminating this situation.” In this letter, Byers admits concerning the plea, he is “keeping the offer open and disregarding your client’s premature rejection…” This is not a surprise in my eyes.

9/14/15- Attorney Beeker files Motion to Withdraw from counsel and Motion to Continue – Motion to Withdraw has not been heard because of the Stay issued 9/17, therefore Beeker remains as counsel for Brooke, Justin and Sarah- in the eyes of Superior Court. (Rccatalyst.com 9/15)
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Books, Resources, Locked in, Uncategorized

Locked in –Released!

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Locked in
Front cover- Locked in by John Huddle

The following is a brief description of the book and the special offer of a bonus book for ordering today. Share this post and please, write a review on Amazon.com after you read the book. Thank you… I will post more on the Fenner case later today..

Here is the link – Amazon US
Amazon Great Britain

For many years, residents of tri-city area of Rutherfordton, Spindale, and Forest City, NC have witnessed the unique appearances and behaviors of the members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). Now, one survivor tells his view of life inside this ever-smiling, well dressed, standoffish group. John Huddle’s book, “Locked in”, reveals the oppressive inner dynamics and resulting behaviors which have proven a lightning rod for stares and hushed questions from those who observe WOFF members. This account goes into detail about the signature practice of loud prayer and blasting deliverance. John includes details regarding the efficient fund raising techniques employed by the group to support the affluent lifestyle of the leader- Jane Whaley. Throughout the story, the personal account of his journey is intertwined with observations and details of the many unwritten rules and essential beliefs which control each member. You will learn which freedoms the regular members surrender in order to stay inside this cloistered subculture. “Locked in” answers many questions which onlookers have asked for years.

Take a few minutes to order this book on Monday, September 21st. Begin learning many of the secrets behind the lily white doors of WOFF. You will find it at Amazon.com searching- “Locked in-John Huddle.” After you order on Monday, return a copy of the receipt or your order number by email to author@religiouscultsinfo.com or john@johnhuddle.net and receive a link to a .pdf copy of the book which helped John see through the haze of WOFF. This second book is out of print; however the download of 253 pages is free. In addition, a portion of each sale of “Locked in” will be donated to the Faith Freedom Fund- a non-profit organization purposed to help survivors of high-demand groups. John Huddle serves as a member of the Faith Freedom Fund. Please, share this offer with your friends and neighbors. It is much appreciated.

Thank you—for supporting my efforts to tell my story! Tell a friend, share this post.

Learn more about the Faith Freedom Fund here- https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=1039

Again, here is the link to order- Amazon US

Season for Changes rolls on…
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Uncategorized, WOFFGATE

Summary of Events in Matthew Fenner Case as of Sept. 18, 2015 (court docs)

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Court ROom #2
Court Room #2

This week brought more motions and notices in the Matthew Fenner case.

September 15th- Rccatalyst.com reported Attorney Beeker withdraws from Fenner Case. They also reported Ms. Beeker filed a continuance for the three defendants, Brooke Covington, Justin Covington and Sarah Anderson for more time for them to find counsel. Beeker included Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. in the list of defendants. Walker’s attorney of record, Matthew Cabe, did not sign the motion. Could this just be sloppy paperwork? It is not clear how this will be treated during Monday’s session.

On the same day, the disqualified Josh Farmer filed a Petition for Writ of Supersedeas and Motion for Temporary Stay on behalf of Brooke M. Covington, Justin B. Covington and Sarah C. Anderson in the North Carolina Court of Appeals (19 pages). Mr. Farmer along with Mark Morris also filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari (157 pages). The review of these documents is too long for this post. We will look at them in an upcoming post. There is a lot of feedback to offer about what was put in and what was left out of these documents. There is a docket entry for the filings, the fee has not been paid and it is unclear whether the Court will review and act on these filings.

September 18th, a motion from Adam Bartley’s attorney Robert Denton arrived in the mail and the clerk’s time stamped it into the records. We review this Motion to Continue All Motions below. Also, just before 5:00PM, Assistant District Attorney Garland Byers filed a response to Denton’s Motion. I do not have a copy, but will review it in a later post. For now, it is enough to look at Denton’s Motion.
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Uncategorized, WOFFGATE

More Appeals Filed in Fenner Case (Court docs)

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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. “
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates, WOFFGATE

Summary of Events for Week of 9/4/2015 (Court docs)

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This past week included disclosure of documents outlining several events in the Matthew Fenner case. As a review, five defendants from the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) were indicted earlier this year on several charges including felony assault and second degree kidnapping stemming from events on January 27, 2013. The five defendants include Brooke M. Covington, Justin B. Covington, Sarah Covington Anderson, Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. and Adam Bartley.

Pre-trial events have included a show stopping disqualification of Joshua Farmer, Mark Morris, Andrea Farmer of Tomblin, Farmer & Morris (TFM) and their associates from representing any of the five defendants. Judge Marvin Pope issued the order on August 6th and also confirmed his Order after a hearing on August 27th. During the August 27th session, attorney Angela Beeker argued the case against disqualification on behalf of TFM. This disqualification came into focus after TFM refused to present Adam Bartley with a plea deal offered by Assistant District Attorney, Garland Byers. In a hand written refusal of the plea, Bartley said, “…I did nothing wrong.” Adam Bartley and Robert L. Walker, Jr, each have secured separate counsel from TFM. Mr. Bartley’s attorney is Robert Denton and Robert Walker’s attorney is Matthew Cabe. Both of these attorneys have their office in Morganton.

This is where we pick up our summary of this week. In court documents, a letter dated August 25th from Bartley’s counsel,in response to the previously reported Motion to Revoke Bond, Robert Denton included these words in regards to the Motion for his client,

“I am saddened to receive the same (motion) and had hoped to have a more professional relationship with you…Do you really intend to tell the Judge that it is a coincidence that approximately a week after he turned your plea down that you decided to file a motion to revoke his bond?… You may want to consult the Rules of Professional Conduct on a prosecutor abusing his calendaring authority for these types of shenanigans. …As you know I do not even have discovery in the case… It seems to me that you are taking this case very personally… I would request you withdraw your motion and we discuss your concerns over the phone…If these are the types of games you play… Perhaps you should recuse yourself from this case?”
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Denton letter to Byers
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