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JUSTICE SERVED: CONVICTION BRINGS END TO POLLARD TRIAL

A conviction and sentence of 6-8 months in jail brought to a close the trial of Michelle Pollard on Wednesday.  The former lieutenant with the Pitt County Sheriff's Office was found guilty of obstructing justice and a willful failure to discharge her duties for tipping off a suspected drug dealer about a narcotics investigation. 

Superior Court Judge William R.  Pittman said he intended the sentence to confirm the public trust in the conduct of all law officers, trust tarnished by the actions of their former colleague.  Pollard's penalty should do that, and send a powerful message that all are subjected to the rule of law, especially those charged with its enforcement. 

For most of Pitt County, Pollard first came to the public eye in 2005 following the death of her husband, Stacey, who drowned in the pool at the couple's Grimesland home.  The Pitt County Sheriff's Office's investigation found no evidence of wrong doing, findings that were confirmed by the state Bureau of Investigation. 

The family of Stacey Pollard disputed those conclusions and filed suit against Michelle Pollard and several other officials, including Sheriff Mac Manning, in 2007.  It was dismissed by a federal judge in 2008 before the family filed suit again, this time in state court. 

A 16-year veteran of the sheriff's office, Pollard resigned from that department in July after she was accused of immoral behavior by the North Carolina Sheriff's Commission.  That preceded the charges resolved this week that Pollard told a suspected drug dealer that she was under investigation, deliberately scuttling the time and resources invested in that case.  Manning has stood behind Pollard during her tenure at the department.  He said after the trial, "it's distressing that someone who had a good deal of talent, knowledge and ability would get caught up in something like this." His support for the deputy likely will be called into question by voters this year.  Yet, beyond the electoral implications of this case is the fact that a law enforcement officer unfit for duty has been held accountable for her actions.  Pollard broke the law.  She compromised an active investigation and put her fellow officers at risk in doing so. 

Though it may not resolve all the legal issues that surround her, Pollard's punishment is just and should allow for a restoration of confidence in local law enforcement and repair of a shattered trust between the public and those who protect and serve.