Attorney General Receives 400 Complaints Against Nifong

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Attorney General's Office has received more than 400 complaints about Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, according to an attorney general's representative.

Nifong, who critics say improperly withheld DNA evidence from defense attorneys in the Duke lacrosse investigation, has come under scrutiny recently from local and national state lawmakers, most recently state Rep. Stephen LaRoque, R-Wayne.

LaRoque on Tuesday called for the state to give the attorney general power to investigate how DAs handle cases.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Roy Cooper said Wednesday that he would "be glad to add this to his list of duties if the General Assembly sees fit to do so."

Third District Congressman Walter Jones has written twice to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to ask for a federal investigation of whether the civil rights of the three defendants in the case—David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann—were violated

Last Friday, Nifong dropped rape charges against them. Charges of first-degree sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping still stand.