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Forsyth Deputy Was Given Merit-Based Raise After John Neville's Death

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Detention Center. Photo courtesy of Forsyth County.

A Forsyth County deputy charged in the death of a Greensboro man was given a merit-based pay raise about a month after he died. 

36-year-old Sarah Poole was one of six people charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of John Neville, who died at an area hospital last December. District Attorney Jim O'Neill said an autopsy revealed Neville died from complications of being restrained at the Forsyth County Jail.

According to The News & Observer, county documents show that Poole received an “above standard” evaluation dated January 11, along with a raise of 61 cents per hour. That was nearly five weeks after the State Bureau of Investigation opened an inquiry into Neville's death. That investigation led to charges against five detention officers and a nurse earlier this month.

The sheriff's office has not responded to questions about Poole's appraisal and subsequent pay raise.

Numerous demonstrations have been held in downtown Winston-Salem since charges were filed, with protesters seeking more clarity and the release of videos related to the case.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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