RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A former member of the Word of Faith Fellowship Church in Rutherford County has filed a petition calling for District Attorney Ted Bell’s removal from office.
In 2013, Matthew Fenner claimed he was the victim of an assault by several leaders of the Word of Faith Fellowship church. In November 2014, Brooke Covington, Sarah Anderson, Justin Covington, Adam Bartley, and Louis Walker, were charged based on allegations of heinous physical abuses of Fenner in retaliation for his sexual orientation.
The court ordered each defendant to be tried separately. In 2017, DA Bell’s office tried assault and kidnapping charges against Brooke Covington. The trial held in Buncombe County ended in a mistrial.
Fenner’s petition alleges that Bell, for eight years, has failed to retry the case and repeatedly granted extensive accommodations to defendants while refusing to meet with him, communicate meaningfully, or provide required victim consultation.
Fenner explained that Bell’s sudden scheduling of the retrial for Dec. 8–12 directly conflicts with his critical medical residency interview, forcing him to choose between attending the proceedings or miss out on a opportunity to further his career…