By Tim Gardner
All charges against Avery County native Donna Hicks Spencer alleged to have happened involving her work as Catawba County, North Carolina Register of Deeds have been dismissed.
Before a trial against Spencer was set to begin on Monday, April 22, the defense and prosecution convened in the Catawba County Court House in Newton before Superior Court Judge Bradley B. Letts. Special Prosecutor Justin Davis, of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, told Judge Letts that the prosecution was filing a motion for voluntary dismissal of one felony count of obtaining property by false pretenses and one misdemeanor count of failing to discharge duties.
Judge Letts granted the dismissal of both.
They were the only two of four charges against Spencer that had remained.
Spencer was initially indicted in December 2021 on two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, one felony count of embezzlement, and one misdemeanor count of failure to discharge her duties.
Judge Letts dismissed the embezzlement charge and one count of obtaining property by false pretenses in September 2023.
Spencer, who was raised in the Elk Park Community of Avery County, gave the following comments to High Country Press about the dismissal of the charges against her: “I said I am innocent from day one. I didn’t commit any criminal acts. I’m happy the prosecution realized this. This ordeal has been most humiliating and stressful for me and my family, as well as very expensive fighting it.”
Spencer also said those who accused her of the legal wrongdoing “got what they were after, which was for me not to continue being Catawba County’s Register of Deeds. The charges were politically motivated and impacted my re-election bid this year.”
Spencer lost the Republican primary in March to be re-elected to the office.
She has served as Catawba County’s Register of Deeds since 2004. She will continue to fill the position until December when the candidate who wins November’s General Election is sworn in.
“I may be kept from continuing to serve as Register of Deeds after several more months, but I actually won this situation as I still have my good name and the court system acknowledged that I didn’t commit any wrongdoing with the dismissal of all the charges against me,” Spencer also declared to High Country Press.
She was represented by Hickory, North Carolina attorney Blair Cody.
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