Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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10 UCW NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 1, 2020 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NEWS Man charged in 28-year-old rape case by JEFF THOMPSON Roy Junior Proctor, 46, of Fayetteville, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, kidnap- ping, rape, first-degree sex offense and felonious lar- ceny in a case many believed would never be solved. e event occurred on Sept. 25, 1992. e victim was returning to her car after cleaning the small office building at Lafayette Memorial Park on Ramsey Street. She told police she was knocked unconscious and driven by three men to a wooded area in Harnett County where she was brutally beaten, raped and left for dead. e case received widespread attention, but the suspects were never identified. Justice has been a long time coming for the victim, known only as Miss Linda. She was determined to keep her case alive. At a news conference, Fayetteville Chief of Police Gina Hawkins, Special Victims Unit Detective Lt. Michael Petti and Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West praised the victim's perseverance in her pursuit of justice. "e victim in this case deserves all the credit," West said. Prompted by the victim's personal involvement, po- lice kept the case alive. Over the years, investigators have looked into the attack "time and time again, try- ing to find something that we missed," Lt. Petti said. e sexual assault kit was resubmitted to the North Carolina State Crime Lab in 2006 given advance- ments in DNA testing. A DNA profile was identified and uploaded into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System. But no matches were found, and the case remained unsolved. In 2015, then- Fayetteville Po- lice Chief Harold Medlock applied for and won a Bureau of Justice Assistance $363,090 grant. e department created a sexual assault cold case unit. e fund- ing also helped the FPD to complete an inventory of sexual assault cases and provide funding of a full-time advocate position at Rape Crisis Volunteers of Cumberland County. In FY2016, the police depart- ment was awarded an additional grant for $793,372 which was used to implement an evidence tracking system and fund an additional victim advocate posi- tion at Rape Crisis Volunteers, among other things. Miss Linda's case was the first to be reopened by the new cold case unit but again all investigative leads went cold. en in September, police received a 'hit notification' from the N.C. State Crime Lab indicat- ing DNA contained in the victim's sexual assault kit matched that of Proctor. While on probation for a felony, Proctor was required to submit a DNA sample and the connection was made. It was the first time since 1992 that Proctor had been charged with a felony, requiring the DNA submission. Following a renewed investigation Proctor was arrested on Nov. 16 at the Smithfield Packing Plant in Tar Heel where he worked. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who attended the news conference, said he intends to propose legislation that DNA be collected from anyone arrested for assault on a female, which is a misdemeanor. Deanna Gerdes, executive director of Rape Crisis of Cumberland County said this was one case she thought would never be solved. "I had the privilege of notifying the victim and alerting her that an arrest had been made," Gerdes said. Proctor is be- ing held in the Cumberland County Detention Center under $1,010,000 bond. Chief Hawkins said police hope to identify the two other suspects in the case. Moore declares mandate for lawmakers, previews redistricting by LINDSAY MARCHELLO Redistricting could prove contentious in next year's legislative session. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, pre- viewed the 2021 legislature at a news conference at N.C. Republican Party headquarters in Raleigh Nov. 16. Along with redistricting, the speaker discussed fiscal issues, a potential federal COVID relief pack- age and Medicaid expansion as issues lawmakers will confront. e General Assembly will have to draw new maps after results from the decennial census come in. Responding to a question from Carolina Journal, Moore said he liked the transparency the legislature used to draw maps last year. Expect to see a similar process, he said. Several left-leaning groups brought lawsuits chal- lenging the maps Republicans had drawn after the 2018 election. Courts forced Republicans to redraw maps using court-approved templates. e process was done in the open, with the public able to watch over a livestream. Moore said census data probably won't arrive until mid-year. at leaves plenty of time to decide which maps to use as a starting point for the legisla- tive and congressional districts. Moore was unanimously renominated for a fourth term as speaker by the Republican House caucus, which gained four seats in the recent election. e caucus gathered virtually and in-person to choose leaders. A formal vote will come early next year. e entire leadership team won unanimous re-election: Rep. Sarah Stevens, R-Surry (Speaker Pro Tempore); Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne (House Majority Leader); Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus (Deputy Majority Leader); Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumber- land (Conference Leader); Rep. Jon Hardister, R-Guilford (Majority Whip); and Rep. Pat Hurley, R-Randolph (Joint Conference Leader). A blue wave expected to sweep out GOP legislators never materialized. Instead, Republicans maintained a hold on the General Assembly with 28 seats in the Senate and 69 in the House. "We have a mandate to legislate," Moore said. But voters also re-elected Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, to lead the execu- tive branch. Legislative Republicans and Cooper rarely see eye-to-eye on major policy is- sues, including Medicaid expansion and school choice. Cooper has shown he isn't afraid to use his veto powers, and Republicans no longer have supermajority status to challenge his vetoes. Republicans would need the votes of two Demo- crats in the Senate and three in the House to over- ride if all members are present. e upcoming legislative session will test each side's willingness to compromise. Moore said he's spoken with Cooper about areas of common ground. e House speaker doesn't want a repeat of the budget stalemate that domi- nated the past legislative session. Moore said Cooper shouldn't hold up the legisla- tive agenda over one issue, a reference to Cooper's ultimatum to expand Medicaid as a condition of passing a budget. Moore said any proposal to expand Medicaid without conditions would have failed in the House and the Senate. He suggested Cooper would get more cooperation if he were more flexible on the issue. JEFF THOMPSON, Reporter. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Roy Proctor was arrested and charged with the kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of a woman in a 1992 case. LINDSAY MARCHELLO, Carolina Journal News Service. COMMENTS? editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, speaks at a Nov. 16 news confer- ence at N.C. Republican Party headquarters in Raleigh. He is flanked by GOP leadership members for the 2021 General Assembly. From left, Deputy Majority Leader Brenden Jones, R-Columbus; and Majority Whip Jon Hardister, R-Guilford. (Screenshot courtesy Carolina Journal News)