With the Pender clerk of court under investigation, here's a look at who's in charge now
A hearing to determine whether Pender County Clerk of Court Elizabeth Craver, who is facing allegations of embezzlement and falsifying employee timecard entries, will remain in her position has been delayed.
A final determination hearing was originally scheduled for March 19, but Craver has since hired a new attorney, Edwin West III, to handle her case and asked for a continuation. Craver's new hearing is scheduled for April 17.
Craver's criminal cases are set to be heard on Friday, April 12 in Pender County Superior Court.
Here's a look at what the clerk of court does, who's running the clerk's office now and the charges against Craver.
About the clerk of court
The county clerk of court is elected, and their main responsibilities include recording, filing, and maintaining the proceedings of the District Court. The clerk maintains information such as trial dockets, case files and keeps information on past court proceedings.
The clerk of court in Pender County holds office for four-year terms, according to Article 12 of the North Carolina General Statutes.
Under state law, if a clerk of court is suspended, the judge shall appoint a qualified person to act as clerk during the period of suspension.
In this case, that appointed person is Camille Harrell.
More: New details reveal what prompted charges against Pender County clerk of court
About Camille Harrell
Harrell, who was sworn in on Feb. 26, previously worked as the assistant clerk of the estates division and she still continues to do estate work in addition to her role as interim clerk.
Born and raised in Pender County, Harrell started working for the clerk's office in October 2011 in the deputy clerk position for the criminal division.
She also has an associate's degree from Cape Fear Community College and is a licensed real estate broker.
Harrell said she felt honored when Superior Court Judge Kent Harrell asked her to step in as interim clerk. She clarified that she and Kent Harrell are not related.
She said she made a promise to do her very best and that whatever comes up she and her colleagues at the clerk's office will handle it.
Background on Craver's case
According to court records, in 2023, Pender County Sheriff Alan Cutler was notified about potential criminal violations involving a person who attempted to file an allegedly forged deed with the Pender County clerk of court, which at the time was Craver.
During the investigation into this case, employees with the clerk’s office informed the Pender County Sheriff’s Office that Craver may have committed several crimes throughout her time as the elected clerk.
On Oct. 12, District Attorney Ben David and Cutler requested that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigate the allegations against Craver. David also got a special prosecutor Attorney Jordan Ford with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys to work with the SBI.
On Feb. 26, a Pender County grand jury indicted Craver on three counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses and one count of failure to discharge her duties.
The charges against Craver
According to court records, the three counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses stem from allegations that Craver bought items for personal use but was reimbursed by the county for them.
Craver also allegedly falsified some of her employee’s timecard entries while they were out shopping with her or working on her next campaign, according to court records.
The count of failure to discharge her duties was, according to court records, due to a an owelty charge that Craver allegedly knowingly failed to order the payment of interest on. An owelty charge is paid so that each party involved in a real estate deal receives equal value from the property when it’s impossible to partition the real estate into units of equal value.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: As Pender County clerk of court faces charges, who's the interim clerk
