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What would you think if a long-time gun control advocate ended up shooting someone? Might the word “hypocrite” come to mind?

It did for me, and apparently for many others.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports North Carolina state senator R.C. Soles shot one of two intruders who attempted to break into his house.

But it gets even more interesting than the mere hypocrisy of a gun control activist shooting somebody.

The New York Times reports Soles won’t be seeking re-election, which is not a surprise since state prosecutors have said they plan to charge Soles because “he acted criminally when he shot a former law client.”

WWAY sheds additional light on this:

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Thursday, a Columbus County grand jury found probable cause to seek an indictment against Soles for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

In late August, Soles shot 22-year-old Kyle Blackburn outside the Senator’s home in Tabor City.

Blackburn was a client of Soles’ law firm. Soles told police he shot Blackburn in self-defense, saying that Blackburn was trying to break into his home. Blackburn told us he was leaving the property when he was shot.

While what happens within a grand jury proceeding is secret, we can presume that ballistics evidence was part of what was reviewed yesterday, specifically whether the bullet wound indicated that Blackburn was facing the Senator or running away when he was shot.

We also know surveillance cameras were running at Senator Soles’ house at the time of the shooting.

The shooting itself wasn’t captured on camera, but what transpired before and after the shooting may have helped the jurors determine how the events played out.

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Now, I don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for someone who advocates diminishing the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. But when I learn that they consider themselves elite enough to own a weapon, any sympathy I might have had goes out the door.

And apparently this wasn’t even a clear-cut case of self-defense. The shooter knew the man who was shot, and a grand jury found sufficient evidence to charge the shooter for criminal activity.

This happened a few months ago, but I’m just now finding out about it from Marty Rickard. Better late than never, to find out about this kind of hypocrisy from a member of the gun control lobby.

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Below is a statement issued by Joe Cheshire, Senator Soles' personal attorney:

We have been informed that the Columbus County Grand Jury has returned a presentment in the case of our client, Senator RC Soles. To be clear, a presentment is not an indictment or a criminal charge. It is simply a request by the Grand Jury to be allowed to consider whether probable cause exists for an indictment or charge. As the Grand Jury continues its work, Senator Soles continues to maintain that he acted in defense of his life and his home on August 23, 2009.

--Statement of Joe Cheshire and Brad Bannon

According to the Attorney General's office, a presentment can be the step before the presentation of a true bill of indictment to a grand jury.

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Soles turns himself in

Jan 8, 2010

R.C. Soles has spent 42 years in the state senate. His visit to jail lasted barely as many minutes.

The longest serving member of the state legislature turned himself in just after 11 a.m. Friday. Thursday a grand jury indicted him for assault with a deadly weapon. The charge stems from the August shooting of Kyle Blackburn, a law client of the senator, at Soles's home outside Tabor City.

"I wish I were free to comment to you," Soles told reporters on his way into the jail. "But it would be totally inappropriate under any circumstances now."

The senator said nothing as he walked back to his car around noon after posting a $5,000 bond. His attorney said little more, including when asked how the criminal charges would affect Soles's ability to serve out the remainder of his term.

"You know I want to leave all questions like that until later," attorney Brad Bannon said, "and I hope you all can appreciate that, because this is now a pending case, and there are rules about as it relates to speaking about pending cases publicly."

Soles's next court date is scheduled for Feb. 10.

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Grand jury indicts Soles

A Columbus County grand jury indicted Sen. R.C. Soles for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Last month, a grand jury found probable cause to believe Soles had acted unlawfully when he shot 22-year-old Kyle Blackburn, a client of his law firm.

Soles said former client Kyle Blackburn was trying to break into his home outside Tabor City when the shooting took place five months ago. Today a grand jury decided there was enough evidence to move forward with a trial for North Carolina's longest serving state senator.

The grand jury met at the Columbus County Court House behind close doors. Nine new members were selected to replace those who had fulfilled their service since granting the presentment last month. Just after 2 p.m. the jury returned 59 true bills of indictment, one indicting Soles for assault with a deadly weapon, which is a Class E felony. If he's found guilty Soles could serve up to two and a half years in prison. His next court date is scheduled for February 10.

Soles's attorneys Joe Cheshire and Brad Bannon said in a statement: "We are disappointed with the indictment of Senator Soles and maintain that he was acting in defense of himself and his home on August 23. We will continue to work with the Attorney General’s Office to resolve this unfortunate matter, consistent with the truth. Absent any new developments, we will have no further public comment about it."

No word yet on when soles will be arrested or turn himself in.

http://www.wwaytv3.com/news_tags/sen_rc_soles_0

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Originally posted by rue:

As a retired law enforcement officer, at one of the largest departments in the country, I've had the opportunity to investigate every type of criminal act conceivable. This appears to be one of those cases where political party affiliation is determining the decision whether to prosecute or not. Let me remind those who are not knowledgeable of the criminal justice system, RC Soles has not been charged with any crime. There has only been a determination that probable cause exist to warrant a grand jury investigation.

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Originally posted by rue:
As a retired law enforcement officer, at one of the largest departments in the country, I've had the opportunity to investigate every type of criminal act conceivable.

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Originally posted by Geezer:
I'd find it kind of hard to believe that a North Carolina Grand Jury would indict someone if it was anything close to a clear case of self-defense.

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Originally posted by rue:
Let me quote this in bold, since some are under the misunderstanding that the man was indicted: "found probable cause to seek an indictment". NOTE: he has not been indicted.

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Published Thu, Jan 07, 2010 03:18 PM

State Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. has been indicted in connection with an August shooting at Soles' Tabor City home.

A Columbus County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment Thursday charging Soles with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

On Aug. 23, Soles shot Thomas Kyle Blackburn. Soles said that Blackburn and another man were trying to intrude into Soles' home and that the shooting was in self-defense.

The indictment was expected since the grand jury had previously found probable cause in the case.

The prosecution is being handled by the Attorney General's Office because District Attorney Rex Gore, who has long ties to Soles, recused himself from the case.

Soles is the longest serving lawmaker in the state and he was a key member of the Democratic leadership in the Senate. He announced last week that he did not intend to seek re-election.

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2008 Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all candidates in 2008, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned Senator Soles a grade of A (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

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Originally posted by Geezer:

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Originally posted by rue:
Let me quote this in bold, since some are under the misunderstanding that the man was indicted: "found probable cause to seek an indictment". NOTE: he has not been indicted.

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Well, not so much.

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Published Thu, Jan 07, 2010 03:18 PM

State Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. has been indicted in connection with an August shooting at Soles' Tabor City home.

A Columbus County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment Thursday charging Soles with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

On Aug. 23, Soles shot Thomas Kyle Blackburn. Soles said that Blackburn and another man were trying to intrude into Soles' home and that the shooting was in self-defense.

The indictment was expected since the grand jury had previously found probable cause in the case.

The prosecution is being handled by the Attorney General's Office because District Attorney Rex Gore, who has long ties to Soles, recused himself from the case.

Soles is the longest serving lawmaker in the state and he was a key member of the Democratic leadership in the Senate. He announced last week that he did not intend to seek re-election.

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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/273014.html

But the issue isn't really whether Sen. Soles was defending himself or not. The issue is his hypocracy in pushing an anti-gun agenda yet arrogating to himself the very right of self-defense with a firearm that he would withhold from others.



"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Originally posted by SignyM:
This is just partisan bullshit. Sen Soles was rated "A" by the NRA.

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Yup. There are so many of us lumped into "anti-gun" who might only wish for responsible gun ownership, or gun registration, etc. Easier to lump peeps into pigeonholes...

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Posted by PN:


Can't shoot somebody in your yard who is not attacking you. Sounds like this senator never took a handgun carry class.

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Soles is a Democrat, but I can't find links to his actual anti-gun legislation...

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Originally posted by Geezer:

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Originally posted by SignyM:
This is just partisan bullshit. Sen Soles was rated "A" by the NRA.

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And Grass Roots North Carolina rated him 1 of four stars. http://www.grnc.org/remember_november/nc_senate_race.htm

Yep. Too much contradiction. I withdraw my previous remarks.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Originally posted by Kwicko:
The more I find out about this guy, the less I know.

There ARE some worrying allegations about young men, too. If anything, the grand jury might look into some of his relationships and monetary arrangements, since it seems to be pretty accepted common knowledge that he bought a 17-year-old boy a $70,000 house and it seems he paid other young boys (13 and 15 years old, in some cases) large sums of cash. That sounds like the REAL scandal, and possibly a very messy tax fraud case.

Oh, and he's not running for reelection. Imagine that. ;)

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