DOT
PEDESTRIAN CASE REOPENED
By Jon Mayhew
LINCOLNTON – The Carolina
Scoop has learned case of a state
Department of Transportation worker
nearly striking a pedestrian a couple of
weeks ago has been reopened by the
district attorney’s office.
Now, in preparation for the case, the
DA’s office is looking for the
unidentified pedestrian that was nearly
struck by a DOT truck driven by
Ellenboro, N.C., resident Rodney Stephen
Murray.
According to assistant district attorney
Gwynn Radeker, the charge of violating
the pedestrian/crosswalk law in downtown
Lincolnton has been filed for a second
time.
Originally, Radeker said in an exclusive
interview on The Carolina Scoop that he
dismissed the charge after learning
Murray planned on saying the unidentified
pedestrian waved him on through the
crosswalk in front of the Post Office.
“After discussing the issue with
Officer Dave Mocanu and others, I
determined that what I had been told
initially was not quite accurate,”
said Radeker.
Officer Mocanu was off-duty when he
witnessed the incident. In Murray’s
citation, it states the pedestrian jumped
out of the way, pointing at a clearly
marked sign that tells motorists to stop
for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Mocanu stopped Murray and called for
officer Kameron Keener to bring a traffic
citation book.
“Officer Mocanu is a good officer
who doesn’t write bad tickets but he
wasn’t in uniform,” said
Radeker.
Lincolnton Police chief Dean Abernathy
said Mocanu did “the right
thing” by calling another officer.
“I made the call a long time ago
– before anyone got hit in the
crosswalk – that the Lincolnton
Police Department was going to enforce
the law,” said Abernathy. “All
of the officers within the city limits
have a responsibility to protect and
serve Lincolnton.”
According to police records, Murray was
notified Wednesday afternoon that the
charge against him was scheduled for
court sometime in March.
The unidentified pedestrian is asked to
call the DA’s office at (704)
736-8521.
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