NORTH CAROLINA
WSPA
By Brianna Smith
Published: March 8, 2017
The Burke County District Attorney has asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations to investigate abuse claims and allegations listed in an Associated Press Article against a Western North Carolina church.
For 18 months, the Associated Press investigated the Word of Faith Fellowship church in Spindale, North Carolina. The reporters talked to 43 members who had left the church, who described years of mental, physical, and sexual abuse.
In a second article, the Associated Press outlined potential cover ups by two employees of the Burke County District Attorney’s Office, Chris Beck and Frank Webster. Both Back and Webster are ministers within the WFF church.
The article detailed that Back and Webster provided legal advice, helped at strategy sessions and participated in a mock trial for four congregants charged with harassing a former member.
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