Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 5, 1994 TAG: 9401050128
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN staff writer
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
A Montgomery County Circuit Court grand jury Monday issued two more indictments against H.D. Flowers II. The indictments accuse Flowers of embezzling $5,100 from Tech after obtaining the money by false pretenses.
Flowers, 48, was indicted in October on four other charges by a different grand jury. Two indictments charged Flowers with obtaining money by false pretenses; the other two accused him of embezzlement.
Those indictments accused Flowers of obtaining money last July and August by picking up two payroll checks that were in the name of a graduate student who did not move to Blacksburg until after the summer courses were taught.
Flowers is accused of embezzling $5,100 each session by cashing the checks intended as payment for an instructor who would teach one class each session. After taxes, the two checks were for $4,000 each.
The latest two indictments involve the 1992 summer session and came out of the ongoing investigation of the 1993 summer session allegations.
Commonwealth's Attorney Phil Keith said the 1992 charges generally follow the same pattern as authorities believe occurred in 1993.
Dave Nutter, a university spokesman, said the problems with the 1992 summer session were uncovered "during a rather exhaustive review" of records after charges were brought against Flowers last fall.
Nutter said it appears that all the classes were taught in both 1992 and 1993, but it was Flowers who taught the classes, not a graduate student or visiting faculty member. Faculty are limited to teaching two sessions per summer session.
Nutter said an investigation reveals that Flowers had contracted with a Norfolk State University faculty member to teach a class during the 1992 summer session. At the last minute, the faculty member had to cancel because of a family emergency.
Flowers is accused of having the check in the Norfolk instructor's name delivered to his Blacksburg home and then cashing the check.
Flowers has been employed at Tech since 1991 and was earning $76,000 a year.
He was removed as head of the Black Studies Program just before the first charges were filed last fall but continued to teach last semester while the charges are pending.
Flower's teaching status for the upcoming semester was unclear Tuesday, Nutter said, as the university is on a winter break schedule.
Flowers joined Tech in July 1991 as the university's first director of the Black Studies Program after spending a year at the University of South Florida as a visiting professor of theater arts. He worked at North Carolina A&T for about 10 years and also was on staff at Bowie State in Maryland and the University of Arkansas.
A court date has not been set for any of the charges.
by CNB