Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 26, 2015, edition 1 / Page 8
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Tape from page AI contact person" for status updates. None of them wera-allowed to see Mr. Wilson or know where he was, or what was happen ing to him. His family weren't getting straight answers, they say, except being told to apply for Mr. Wilson's guardianship, even though a FCDSS director had already been appointed and could not be removed by law unless the Clerk so ordered. Ms. Wilson-Toure lived in California at the time, and could only con tact officials immediately by phone or email about her uncle. But those attempts became very tense, frustrating and ulti mately fruitless. In a November 15, 2005 letter to Wilson Toure from FCDSS, her role as family contact member was terminated due to " ... issues with communication and issues of mistrust." From that missive, FCDSS cited that Wilson-Toure allegedly became "emotional" about no one being allowed to see her uncle, his mail from family being "moni tored" and "forwarded ... if appropriate," and FCDSS refusing to answer questions from family members who were not at the Oct. 31st meeting, as reasons for the termination. "This clearly indicates that the family contact sys tem agreed upon ... will not work," the terse FCDSS letter stated. In an emailed response to that FSDSS letter on that same day, Wilson-Toure countered that her numer ous calls and messages were never returned, and no new information about her uncle was forthcoming from FCDSS since that Oct. 31st meeting. "If anything, I've endured and encountered only "stress" in my various attempts at getting any kind of report on my Uncle Napoleon Wilson's physi cal or mental condition," she wrote, adding that "... the setup in which you have for my [uncle] seems prison-like." Only after the niece's outraged reply did FCDSS, six days later, send a letter to all of Mr. Wilson's fam ily members, informing them that he was "still adjusting," he was receiv ing "assistance" with his various personal and med ical needs, and "We will let family visit when and if ir is best for Mr. Wilson." Ms. Wilson-Toure told The Chronicle that no other family member was designated contact person afterwards because "no one cooperated" with the stringent restrictions placed on access to their loved one. Meanwhile in Winston Salem, Mr. Wilson's cousin, Sandra Jackson, was meeting the same brick wall with the Clerk's Office that Wilson-Toure was hitting with FCDSS. Her questions were rebuffed; she was told the family had no legal rights; and even her money to pay the filing fee to petition the removal and replacement of FCDSS as guardian (which was ultimately denied) was returned to her immediately after she paid it. Ms. Wilson-Toure wrote a letter to the Clerk endorsing Jackson's efforts, but to no avail. When Ms. Jackson did get to see Mr. Wilson at the facility, he was in poor shape and spirits, with evi dence of alleged abuse. She was determined to get him out. Then on February 20, 2006, the family received a letter from Winston-Salem attorney Bryan C. Thompson titled. "Napoleon Wilson, Incompetent." As The Chronicle has previously reported, attor ney Thompson was the Forsyth Clerk of Court's apparent go-to guy when it came to serving as a guardian of a ward's estate, handling business matters dealing with property, assets and taxes. It has been confirmed that Thompson was present at Mr. Wilson's very first Sept. 15,2005 Clerk's spe cial proceeding, where Wilson was assigned a guardian ad litem, found incompetent, and an FCDSS director was I appointed guardian of Mr. Wilson's person, handling his health and other non business needs. All of the above from that hearing are confirmed by supporting court docu ments, even though some were not file-stamped into the court record as required, rendering them, according to established state appellate court opin ion, "legally invalid." Attorney Thompson was there, and at subse quent meetings, in the capacity of estate guardian for Mr. Wilson, but as indi cated previously, there is no court documentation in Wilson's recently certified file from the Clerk's Office proving Thompson was ever appointed. In fact, in that February 20, 2006 letter to family members, Thompson does not state his status as the estate guardian at all. Instead, he just informs Mr. Wilson's family that Wilson's "expenses exceed his income" and "pursuant to Orders of the Forsyth County Court" his princi pal assets have been depleted, and Wilson's "real estate holdings" will be sold by Thompson to cover any further deficits. "I have personally dis cussed this course of action with Mr. Wilson," attorney Thompson concludes his letter. Sandra Jackson saw the letter, knew something was wrong, and on March 2, 2006, went to see her cousin at the expensive all white facility with a tape recorder, determined to prove to the world that her cousin Napoleon was not incompetent. "No, I don't want to be here," the voice of a frail, elderly man who Jackson identifies as "Uncle Napoleon" (her personal reference to her older cousin) is heard saying on the tape The Chronicle has reviewed. "I don't want to be here one minute." At one point during the 12-minute recording, Mr. Wilson talks about how he was told by an attendant that he had "killed his wife." He becomes upset, saying that his wife had actually died of breast can cer (which Jackson con firms), so why would they accuse of him of such a thing. Mr. Wilson also says he was told he's "never going to get out of here." "They don't want you to because they want to. do all they can as far as taking your property," Ms. Jackson replies, then adding that attorney "Bryan Thompson" sent out letters saying he talked to Wilson about "selling your property." Mr. Wilson says he told Thompson no. He wanted his property to. go to his family, and his female friend Sarah, who he says he wanted to marry. As a subsequent recording The Chronicle has reviewed reveals, Sandra Jackson carried Mr. Wilson's message with her to the next heated meeting at the Clerk's office. She and family members lob[ bied hard to have the | incompetency order appealed and have more i access to Wilson, but were < denied. 1 Napoleon Wilson died at age 83 on Dec. 9, 2007 at another, less expensive i nursing facility he was < moved to. To determine i heirs to the remainder of ] his estate, the Forsyth i Clerk's Office appointed a 1 local attorney to serve as ] "public administrator" in 2008, months after i Wilson's death. > Documents show that attorney to be Bryan C. I Thompson. Even today, family members like Sandra ] Jackson and Gladys ] Romane Wilson-Toure i have questions about fees < and commissions charged | by Thompson in his han- i dling of their loved one's < assets and properties, amounting to be in the six i figures, records showed. And because of the 1 absence of court docu- 1 ments in the Cleric's file proving Thompson's authority to have legally served as Mr. Wilson's estate guardian, there are outstanding questions there as well. In a previous story regarding allegations about attorney Thompson's actions as an estate guardian, Molly Whitlatch, an attorney representing him, told a local newspa per, " ... all of Bryan Thompson's actions were accounted for and approved by the court..." Forsyth Clerk of Superior Court Susan Frye, who was not in office in 2005 at the time of the Napoleon Wilson case, has previously said regarding allegations that the Clerk's Office had a "pattern and practice" of "fraud" regarding the mishandling Df guardianship cases, " 'Everything was handled in a professional manner. All laws have been fol lowed. There was no fraud." AAA Carolinas: 1.3 million to travel over Thanksgiving CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? AAA Carolinas says an estimated 1,353,000 North Carolinians are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday, a modest increase over last year. And travelers will find gas prices are down 70 cents from the Thanksgiving holiday in 2014. The club said in a state ment that nearly 90 percent of holiday travelers will be driving to their destina tions, slightly more than last year. The statewide average for a gallon of gas is $2.07, compared to $2.77 last year. North Carolina motorists will find lower gas prices in the border states of South Carolina ($1.88), Virginia ($1.94), Tennessee ($1.93) and Georgia ($2.05). Asheville has the state's most expensive gas at $2.15. The least expensive average price is in the Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point area at $2.03. Have a Story Idea? Let us Know news@wschronicle?om >1 1 I Access the My Family Health Portrait Web tool at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/ *W Forsyth County 5^^ / k-piirtinent of PuMk Health Promoting Health, Improving lives Brought to you by Personal Health Services DAY OF REMEMBRANCE Tuesday, December 1,2015 ^ 6: 30 _pm - Union Baptist Church ( 121)1) K Trade Street, Winston-Salem inc. Honorary Hosts: Larry Womble, Bishop Sir Walter Mack, Jr., Dr. John Mendez Dr. Carlton fivers ley - Anniversary Leader December 1st marks the 60th Anniversary of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery ^Bm^jcot^Tl^evgtM^A^^l^nilestOTe^^^eoMnmMttotate^^^^ Mm ^m2
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