“included such notables as state Rep. Sarah Stevens”

New reporting from the Asheville Watchdog reveals that a convicted child sex predator is one of the pre-eminent fundraisers for NCGOP judicial candidates, hosting one of the biggest annual fundraising events in North Carolina. Among those in attendance at last year’s “North Carolina Judicial Picnic” were Republican NC Supreme Court Justice Trey Allen and Rep. Sarah Stevens, the Republican nominee for the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Paul Newby and Justice Phil Berger Jr. have also been photographed at the event in recent years.

“I guess this explains why North Carolina Republicans have been so silent about the efforts to hide the Epstein files. Since Republicans took control of our state courts, corruption and unethical behavior has run rampant. What does it say about these judges that they’re so willing to look past these horrifying crimes in exchange for a nice party and some campaign donations?” asked NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton

Photo of Rep. Stevens and Harvey West (In Chair)

Here’s Some Of What You Need To Read In The Asheville Watchdog: Democracy Watch: Links between convicted sex offender, state GOP leadership may complicate candidacies

“West, 54, was a 28-year-old police officer in Washington, a small town in Beaufort County near the Outer Banks, in 1999 when he was arrested and charged with the statutory rape of three girls, two aged 14 and one aged 16. The charge is among the state’s most serious felonies and is defined legally as sexual intercourse with a person aged 15 or younger and the perpetrator is at least six years older. Consent is not a defense.”

“West agreed to plead guilty to 16 lesser charges of taking indecent liberties with a child and served six years in prison. His plea agreement also required that, upon completing the sentence, he be included on the North Carolina sex-offender registry for a minimum of 10 years.”

“But West remained active behind the scenes and established himself as a fundraiser in a newly created space. In 2018, North Carolina initiated partisan elections for all judicial offices, including for positions on the appellate and state Supreme courts. Seizing an opportunity to influence judicial candidates who are unaccustomed to raising money to campaign, West and his wife created an annual fundraising picnic they called the Down East Judicial Picnic. ”

“As a measure of West’s success, the 2025 fundraiser was renamed the North Carolina Judicial Picnic – recognition that the event now has statewide impact. Hosted by West and his wife at their riverfront home in Plymouth near Albemarle Sound, it featured Allen as master of ceremonies and included such notables as state Rep. Sarah Stevens, the GOP’s candidate for the state Supreme Court.”