Councilman charged with felony

Oct. 25--A Gamewell Town Council member is accused of withdrawing money from an account he shared with his business partner and placing it in a personal account, the Lenoir Police Department said.

Richard "Brian" Kidd, 48, of Ivey Stine Road in Gamewell is accused of withdrawing $29,384.40 on Aug. 31 from the Capitol Bank business account of B&D Bail Bonds, which he at the time was operating with Dawn Young Lail, according to an application for a search warrant written by Detective Jason M. Parker of the Lenoir Police Department on Sept. 25. On Sept. 4, he also withdrew $5,000, Parker wrote.

On Sept. 12, Parker spoke with Kidd by phone, and Kidd told Parker that he placed the money in a personal account that Lail couldn't access.

In their operating agreement, Lail and Kidd had agreed not to remove more than $500 from their business account unless they both agreed to the withdrawal, Parker wrote.

Police obtained bank records that showed the funds had been removed, but it was not clear from those records where the money was put, Parker added.

The locks on B&D Bail Bonds were also changed, and Lail couldn't get in.

Kidd said in a brief interview Wednesday that the charges were politically motivated, but he declined to comment further.

Kidd's wife, Angela Kidd, is the Republican candidate for Caldwell County clerk of court.

Capt. Couby Stilwell said there was no political motivation behind the police investigation.

"We treated him just like we would anybody else," he said.

Kidd turned himself in at the magistrate's office on Wednesday. He was charged with felony appropriation of partnership funds by partner to personal use. His bond was set at $5,000 secured.

Kidd has no previous felony convictions, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety's inmate database.

Kidd was also charged on Monday with misdemeanor breaking and entering, the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said. A woman told the sheriff's office on Oct. 16 that Kidd crawled into her house through a window to search for one of her relatives, who was accused of skipping on bond, said LouAnne Kincaid, the county public information officer. The allegation was investigated by the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and the N.C. Department of Insurance, which licenses bondsman, Kincaid said.

Kidd said that the charge was politically motivated.

"They can't pick on my wife, so they want to pick on me," he said.

Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 828-610-8721.

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