Questions and Answers
Tamara is eager to answer your questions about her record, campaign issues, or whatever else will help your voting decision.
Q: What occurred with the bulldozer on Sept 13th in Hurley?
A: 10-9-11 While my emphasis is on clarifying Adkins's allegations, it is important to understand that during June and early July I was contacted almost every day, if not multiple times each day by one or all of the three candidates for Supervisor in the Knox District. I received allegations by all three of various forms of criminal conduct. Each complaint was evaluated and referred to the State Police in the same manner.
In about the first week of July, I was given information about the potential unauthorized use of a bulldozer owned by Ms. Shelia Iron Dellinger. As with all other complaints of this nature, I contacted the State Police and also contacted Ms. Dellinger personally. She and I had previously spoken and had become familiar.
Given this personal history, I followed up via Facebook about the case without mentioning any potential defendant's name. She responded back the same day naming Trey Adkins and stated that he was supposed to be storing her dozer, but she had heard that he had been using it. I asked for clarification about whether she had given him authority to use the dozer while he stored it. She said, "He took it to store it. I didn't give him permission to use it." In a follow-up message the same day, she also took the time to inform me that the dozer had only 3,700 hours on it when she paid him to store it for her. This placed the value of the loss, if the allegations had turned out to be accurate.
Upon the State Police confirming her complaint, I sent a letter to the Court requesting the appointment of a Special Prosecutor. The Court drafted the Order on August 2, and it was signed by August 4. The Order appointed the Commonwealth's Attorney of Russell County, an elected Democrat. From that time until the day the State Police took action with the dozer, my contact with Ms. Dellinger was only personal in nature. Specifically, we spoke about my campaign and my sign being stolen from her yard.
Once a Special Prosecutor is appointed, all power and authority to continue an investigation, and ultimately whether or not to bring a criminal charge is vested in that new prosecutor. While all authority is taken from my office at that point, I still remain the contact for most questions that come in from the public, victim, and press, as I am still here in the county. The appointment of a Special Prosecutor does not mean I become isolated from information. It only means I become powerless, powerless in terms of prosecution, investigation, and bringing a charge. As a public servant I still receive all questions given me, and forward those I cannot answer on to the investigator and/or the newly appointed prosecutor.
On September 13, the day the dozer was located by the State Police, I was first notified of the temporary seizure by an email from Scotty Wampler of the Virginia Mountaineer. He simply asked about any situation in Hurley involving the confiscation of a dozer and the presence of the State Police. I called the State Police about the press inquiry, at which time I was told that Ms. Dellinger's bulldozer had been located, and that Adkins had presented a bill of sale and copy of a cashier's check purporting to show a sale from Ms. Dellinger to Rhonda Thacker on behalf of Tayco on August 22. Presumably, Tayco is Adkin's company. I again reached out to Ms. Dellinger, this time to ask about whether she had sold the dozer. To date, she has never responded to that message.
It is my understanding that she did speak with the State Police on or about September 13 regarding the bill of sale, verified that she did in fact sell it, and apologized for forgetting to mention it to the investigator. Originally valued around $40,000, she still owed $31,000 when she sold it to Tayco for $20,000.
It is my understanding now that Ms. Dellinger has stated to the Voice Newspaper that she never requested an investigation, and never understood why the Virginia State Police had come to speak with her about her bulldozer. I find this to be disconcerting and curious. It makes no sense why she would make her statements to me, then her statements to the State Police, only to disavow making them now.
Investigations of the State Police are not started without a complaint from a victim. That occurred in this case. Unlike the magistrate process, where a victim signs a criminal complaint and does not need a law enforcement officer to bring a charge, a victim giving a report to the State Police and requesting help is sufficient to start an investigation. Here, Ms. Dellinger first told my office of her loss, and then told it again to a State Police Investigator. Based on her direction an investigation was started. For an officer to be given this kind of information and feedback and not act would be a dereliction of their duties.
To fully answer Adkins inaccurate press release, I have made several requests for public release of the investigator's notes and file. I have made these requests because I know there was nothing political or wrong in the handling of this matter. All actions taken were based upon the information provided at the time.
My requests to Commonwealth's Attorney Brian Patton and the State Police for this release have been repeatedly denied, and understandably so. Investigative material is typically not released in order to maintain the potential defendant's good name on the chance that the allegations are unfounded. In this case, no one has made this matter more public than Adkins, himself.
The policy of the State Police and Mr. Patton's office is to not release investigative materials while investigations are still active, and sometimes even after they are closed. I am not a part of this investigation, thus even I cannot get the materials in either the State Police's file or Mr. Patton's for public release, decisions which speak to their integrity and which I wholly respect.
However, it is my understanding that upon conclusion of this investigation, Mr. Patton has agreed to make a statement that will confirm the information I have provided here. He may release additional timelines and details that only he and the investigator have access to, as they deem appropriate.
While I understand it is political season, it is also a fact that I have a job to do. In this case, Adkins has fully misplaced his ire, political or otherwise, upon me. I understand why he may feel the need to do this given my history of prosecuting his brother. I recognize it through his active placement of my opponent's signs in people's yards. But all the allegations he's advancing are wholly inaccurate and questionable. If practical issues with the investigation of this matter exist, they should instead be directed to those with authority in the case.
Facebook Conversation
Dellinger Notes Released by State Police on 10-18-2011
- Second week of July (approximate)
- Information received of alleged unauthorized use of Bulldozer owned by Ms. Shelia Iron Dellinger.
- State Police contacted - July 19
- Tamara Neo speaks with Ms. Dellinger via Facebook. Complaint confirmed. State Police contact Ms. Dellinger and take her complaint and her request that the dozer be seized upon being found - August 2
- Letter requesting appointment of Special Prosecutor sent from Neo to Court
- Special Prosecutor Order drafted by Court and presented to judge - August 4
- Special Prosecutor Brian Patton appointed to the investigation
- Power of Commonwealth's Attorney Tamara Neo to charge in the matter ends - August 22
- The dozer purchased from Ms. Dellinger on behalf of Tayco. No contact to law enforcement from Ms. Dellinger regarding the change of ownership of the dozer. - September 13
- State Police seize dozer, and upon presentation of the bill of sale State Police return the dozer. - September 13
- Virginia Mountaineer paper contacts Tamara Neo asking about a bulldozer in Hurley and State Police action. Neo contacts State Police about press inquiry, and is then informed of seizure and bill of sale. Neo contacts Ms. Dellinger about the dozer's sale with no reply back. - September 14 - September 27
- Voice Newspaper speaks with Dellinger and she denies requesting investigation and seizure of bulldozer. - September 28
- Trey Adkins press release published in The Voice. - September 29 - October 11
- Dellinger signs a statement for Voice Newspaper and she denies requesting investigation and seizure of bulldozer.
Q: Do you hire people from out of the county and are you from here?
A: Everyone I now hire lives in Buchanan County. There are two persons who have been with me from day one who do not now live here. The first is Nick Compton, he is my Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney. He is a Buchanan County native, graduating from Council High School, but lives now in Lebanon. The second is Mr. Chris Plaster. Chris was with the office before my election and I chose to rehire him. He resides in Richlands and has many family ties to the area on both his mother's and his father's side. He continues to serve as an attorney exclusively in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Anne Randolph is another Buchanan County native with me from our first day in office. Ms. Marcella Watson, Victim Witness Coordinator, was hired by my office in coordination with Sheriff Ray Foster. Ms. Watson is also a Buchanan County native and now resides in the Whitewood district. Ms. Jennifer Stenger lived here at the time I hired her, but was not originally from Buchanan County. Rather she grew up in South Carolina. The remaining three attorneys all live here now.
Whenever I've had a position available it has been advertised openly in either the local newspapers or on the internet. Finding an attorney willing to work for the $40,000 to $43,000 these positions offer is not easy. Very few attorneys in private practice would take the cut in pay. Clearly what is going on in Buchanan County is exciting across the Commonwealth. Three of the office's six attorneys have chosen to move here to become part of the community. One is about to be married and will be starting his new life with his wife here in Buchanan County. In a time of continued declining population, I see more people moving in to the community to add to it to be a very good thing.
They, like me, have chosen Buchanan County to be their home. They recognize the unique beauty of the area and the incomparable kindness of the people of Buchanan County.
My children are now from Buchanan County. This will always be their hometown. My son was born here and my girls were less than one and two when we made Buchanan County our home.
I am saddened to hear my opponent use this as a tool of division. I'm sure when his great great grandfather arrived, he, like me, was greeted by people who are open and welcoming - people who want others to come and live here to share the wonderful nature of the county. I would imagine that is why my opponent's great great grandfather first chose to stay and raise his family here. I find it disheartening that my opponent would now shame that welcoming nature by encouraging mean-spirited thinking, especially in a community renowned for its open, loving, Christian nature. The Buchanan County I know and reside in rejects that kind of negative thinking and finds joy in people recognizing how wonderful it is here and choosing to make their lives as a part of this community.
Q: Tamara, do you personally handle every trial?
A: No, that would be impossible. Just as the Sheriff cannot make every arrest personally, there simply are not enough hours in a week for me to be the lead prosecutor in every case. To demand that type of control would not be a good method of prosecution and would be a disservice to the community. This is especially true since my office is handling two to three times the number of defendants than was handled by the past administration.
Being Commonwealth's Attorney is about more than simply being the County's top trial lawyer; it's about being a leader. I have assembled and trained a talented team of prosecutors who, collectively, are capable of far more than any single prosecutor alone. That being said, I do not relinquish all control in the cases in which I am not the lead prosecutor. I set the overarching policies that my assistant prosecutors follow, I monitor the cases as they progress towards trial, and offer guidance where needed. Moreover, I personally try the most complex and serious matters including 1st degree murder cases, drug distribution cases, and civil forfeiture cases.
I'm proud of my team and all we've accomplished together.