KANNAPOLIS — Kannapolis Police investigators have completed a month-long probe of a
child abuse complaint against State Rep. Richard Moore.A separate Department of Social Services
investigation has not been completed.
The complaint involves a
16-year-old boy who was a student at A.L. Brown High school. Moore was the guardian for
the boy at the time the complaint was filed.
Chief Paul Brown sent the report
to Cabarrus District Attorney Mark Speas late Monday.
Speas will now decide what if any
charges to lodge against Moore, a second-term legislator from Kannapolis.
Speas said this morning he will
take about 10 days to review the police report. He said the report includes written
materials as well as tape recordings. He declined to be more specific about the recordings
or the substance of the report.
Moore, 28, resigned his teaching
position at A.L. Brown High School in late August and subsequently turned in his teaching
license to the Department of Public Instruction.
Moore and his attorney, Todd
Williford, have repeatedly declined comment.
When Moore resigned from A.L.
Brown, he said he planned to enter the ministry.He said he had enrolled in classes at the
Charlotte extension of the Southeastern Baptist Seminary. Moore is youth director at
Shadybrook Baptist in Kannapolis and recently served as interim pastor.
The school’s registrar said
last week that Moore is not a student at any branches of the school.The Cabarrus
Department of Social Services notified the district attorney and Kannapolis of a
complaint. The Cabarrus department referred the complaint to Union County Social Services
officials, citing Moore’s status as a well known public official.
Union County Social Services
Director Roy Young said Monday that his department should complete its investigation in
about two weeks.
Young said he will send his report
to the district attorney with a recommendation. This morning, Speas said he hopes to get
the Social Services report prior to making his decision.
Young also said the16-year-old boy
is no longer under Moore’s supervision. He declined to say whether the boy was
removed by Social Services.
A former A.L. Brown student,
Raymonte Love, said last month he was questioned by representatives of the school system
about Moore’s relationship with boys who visited or lived in Moore’s home across
from the school.
Love said many of the questions
focused on possible sexual contact between Moore and the boys. Love was the first of many
students who Moore worked with during his tenure at Brown. Moore took Love to various
meetings including theKannapolis Rotary Club and a dinner with U.S. Education Secretary
Richard Riley, touting the success of the alternative school program at Brown. Moore was
the lead teacher in that program.
When he resigned from Brown, Moore
was in a newly created position aimed at helping children in the exceptional student
program find jobs. |
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