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Source: The Fayetteville Observer, N.文件倉C.Sept. 06--A larceny charge against the speaker of the Lumbee Tribal Council has been dismissed, Robeson County court officials confirmed today. .Pearlean Revels faced the charge after being accused of stealing financial documents from tribal headquarters in Pembroke last month. A civil lawsuit seeking to permanently ban her from tribal property also has been dismissed.On Aug. 22, Revels took a copy of the tribe's general ledger from the finance director's desk.The financial documents in question have been a point of contention between the council and the administration for months.Council members argue that they should have access to the ledger to ensure spending is in line with the budget.Tribal Chairman Paul Brooks refused to release the documents, saying it would violate privacy laws.On Aug. 12, Revels and Brooks signed a memorandum of understanding that the administration would provide the general ledger and check registers from all tribal accounts by 1 p.m. Aug. 30.Revels admitted to taking the ledger, saying she assumed it was being prepared for the council.Tribal administration officials said they told Revels it was not ready and that taking it would be a violation of the court agreement.Robeson County District Attorney Johnson Britt confirmedthis morning that his office dismissed the larceny charge Tuesday."The crime of larceny requires that the state prove that there was a taking of property," Britt said, "and evidence that the defendant did so to permanently depri存倉e the owner use of the property."He said the case "woefully lacked evidence" since there was a prior court agreement to disclose the records.Britt said he had told several officials from the tribal administration before charges were filed that the case lacked probable cause and was not likely to hold up in court.The administration appeared before three magistrates before one agreed to file a warrant against Revels in the case, Britt said.The lawsuit banning Revels from access to tribal records and property was also dismissed this week.Chief District Court Judge Stanley Carmical dismissed it and the temporary restraining order against Revels and Councilman Terry Campbell, who was with Revels when she took the documents, saying the state did not have jurisdiction in the case because it was an internal tribal matter."The exercise of jurisdiction by this court plainly would interfere with the powers of self-government of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, would subject a dispute arising under the tribal constitution to a forum other than the forum that the Lumbee people have established for themselves, and would undermine the authority of the tribal court created by the tribal constitution to adjudicate such disputes," Carmical's order states.Staff writer Ali Rockett can be reached at rocketta@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) Visit The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at .fayobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉