Former courthouse clerk arrested on felony charges

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The SBI launched an investigation in the summer of 2017 focused on Robert King. Jr., a former clerk at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, after agents learned he may have misappropriated more than $1,500 in state funds.

King was fired then for failing to adhere to work policies. He was arrested Tuesday on two felony charges including fraudulent access of a government computer and obtaining property by false pretense.

(Robert King)

King’s arrest comes as no surprise to a man who'd followed the case from the beginning.

“I was very angry when I first caught wind of the situation,” retired clerk Tim Wood said.

Wood spent 18 years in the clerk's office, most of them as a supervisor.

He said the dollar figures involved may not have been big, but the loss of public trust and respect is huge.

“It's damaging to the entire judicial system if there is any question of impropriety,” Wood said.

Jasmine Nunez said in 2017 she was trying to finalize her divorce when she came to the courthouse and paid a clerk $240 in cash.

“So, when he asked for it, I went to the ATM handed him the money and he printed a receipt out,” Nunez said.

She found out later the courts didn't have any record of her payment, and the receipt he'd given her was bogus.

Cox Media Group