Another complaint filed against embattled Johnston County magistrate
A woman on Friday accused a Johnston County magistrate, who has a history of complaints against him, of being rude to her.
Posted — UpdatedRaquel Hinton said Magistrate Sam Blake Jr. was disrespectful to her on May 1 when she went to post bond for her boyfriend.
Blake, who was acquitted in February of threatening to shoot and kill a crime suspect last fall, denied the accusation in a written response.
Blake has remained on the job despite a string of complaints against him over the last 10 years. During the State Bureau of Investigation probe into threats Blake allegedly made against David Pearson last fall, Johnston County released more than 180 pages of documented complaints against him.
Law enforcement officers, co-workers and citizens have accused Blake of lacking professionalism, behaving rudely and publicly calling other magistrates racist in complaints dating to 2002.
A Johnston County judge backed Blake in a hearing to have him removed from office Feb. 10, saying that there were too many conflicting stories to convince beyond a reasonable doubt that Blake should be removed from office.
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