State rests abuse case
By John Joyce
Published in News on March 4, 2015 1:46 PM
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Chad Calloway
The state of North Carolina rested its case against a former Goldsboro police captain this morning in Wayne County Superior Court.
Chad Calloway is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing his stepdaughter, Diamond Coley Smith, from the time she was 9 years old until shortly after her 15th birthday.
Testimony began Monday with the alleged victim detailing the abuse she says she was subjected to -- from fondling to intercourse -- and her mother's repeated requests for her to keep Calloway's transgressions secret.
Day Two of the trial saw a number of witnesses tell the court that it was clear the two had a relationship that went beyond a typical father/daughter bond.
Mrs. Smith's former cheerleading coach, Joyce Best, was among those who testified Tuesday.
She told the court she witnessed "inappropriate behavior" between Calloway and Mrs. Smith when the woman was in high school.
"They acted more like boyfriend and girlfriend than like father and daughter," she said.
The family's pastor, Dr. William Alexander Mitchell Jr., of Greater St. John Free Will Baptist Church in Dudley, said he, too, was aware that something was amiss.
He testified that years ago, Mrs. Smith's mother, Monica Calloway, called him and arranged for Mrs. Smith, then 15, to meet with him for counseling.
He told the court that Mrs. Smith told him only basic details -- how long the abuse had been going on and that it began with contact with her breasts and had gone as far as sexual intercourse.
"You don't need to eat a whole apple pie to know you are eating apple pie," Mitchell said on the stand.
And when he asked Mrs. Calloway what she wanted to do with the knowledge of the abuse, she said, "Nothing," Mitchell said.
Instead of calling the police, Mitchell offered to counsel Mrs. Smith to help her cope. He counseled her for the next 13 years.
Mrs. Smith's biological paternal grandmother, Verlee Edwards, also took the stand Tuesday -- and said she was informed about the allegations of sexual abuse by Mrs. Smith on July 4, 2013.
At one point, she teared up when testifying about the time Mrs. Calloway and her mother, Betty Williams, came to her house. She said she felt they were there to persuade her not to go to the authorities.
"I was disappointed in her," she said. "That is her job as a parent -- to take care of our children, to protect our babies."
The defense was expected to begin presenting its case later this morning.