Franklin County clerk accused of ethical violations won't be able to return to office
An elected official in Franklin County removed from office for a series of ethical violations won't be able to return to that type of work.
Among the violations, former Franklin County Clerk of Court Patricia Chastain was improperly involved in a dispute between two sets of neighbors in December 2019, the focus of a WRAL investigation.
Chastain showed up unannounced at the home of a Louisburg couple involved in a dispute with one of their neighbors to say that she was mediating the dispute, even though the couple already had obtained a restraining order from a local judge against their neighbor.
Body camera video from a Franklin County deputy Chastain called to the scene captured the entire discussion.
"I feel like it was extremely helpful, and I’m here to help people,” Chastain told WRAL News in 2020 about her involvement in the civil matter. “If I can use my position in that way to help families, then I’m glad I was able to be there for them.”
Franklin County Sheriff Kent Winstead said Chastain's call put his deputy in an awkward position.
“She just didn’t have the right to go out there questioning these people without an attorney and questioning court orders,” Winstead said.
In a follow-up email, Chastain wrote to WRAL News, "I don’t know how every clerk in every county across our state conducts themselves in unusual circumstances such as these, but I do know I am always working to go the extra mile to resolve issues."
A judge ruled in 2020 that Chastain should lose her elected position because of the misconduct.
In February 2022, the State Court of Appeals overturned that order and sent the case back to a lower court – saying the judge considered evidence against Chastain that was not included in the original complaint – which he wasn’t supposed to do.
However, a Superior Court judge reviewed the case after Chastain appealed. His new ruling said the nature, type and frequency of Chastain’s misconduct makes her unfit to be the clerk.
