NORTH CAROLINA
WLOS
by Tanja Rekhi
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) —
A local district attorney wants to find out if his employees had any involvement with allegations of physical abuse at the Word of Faith church.
David Lerner, district attorney in Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties, asked the SBI to investigate two assistant prosecutors after the Associated Press reported Frank Webster and Chris Back provided legal advice, helped at strategy sessions and did a mock trial with congregants charged with harassing a former member.
John Huddle left the Spindale church in 2008. He said Webster is church founder Jane Whaley’s son-in-law. He didn’t interact with Webster much while he was living at the church and said Webster and his wife were in the “Young Marrieds” group. He and his wife were in the “Middle Marrieds.”
“The defense of religious freedom stopped a long time ago when abuses increased,” Huddle said. “This is not religion. This is not about worship. This is not about freedom to worship. This is about protecting people from being emotionally and physically harmed and having their faith used against them.
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