The district attorney responsible for prosecuting crimes in seven northeastern North Carolina coastal counties is facing complaints about his job performance from seven residents.
The Daily Advance of Elizabeth City reports the petitions ask a judge to suspend or remove District Attorney Frank Parrish from office. North Carolina law allows any citizen to file a petition to remove a district attorney without any initial screening, unlike other law enforcement officials.
Superior Court Judge Alma Hinton of Roanoke Rapids will decide within days whether the complaints deserve a hearing or should be dismissed.
The head of the group representing the state's district attorneys says one or two DAs each year are hit with citizen complaints. Peg Dorer says most are dismissed by a judge before they get to a hearing.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
