Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 7, 1993 TAG: 9310070347
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
H.D. Flowers II, the director of Virginia Tech's black studies program, appeared in Montgomery County General District Court on three misdemeanor charges of writing insufficient-fund checks, which were dismissed when the complainants did not appear in court. Three similar charges against Flowers, who also teaches theater arts, were dismissed in 1992.
Flowers, 48, of Blacksburg, was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury Friday for allegedly cashing two payroll checks July 1 and Aug. 9 that were payable to King D. Godwin, a graduate student who began attending Tech this semester.
The checks were payment for teaching one class each summer-school session. After taxes, the checks were for slightly more than $4,000 each.
Godwin told authorities he was not in Blacksburg this summer and didn't teach the courses or receive payment.
According to authorities, Flowers and Drexel Ball, an assistant to the president of Delaware State College in Dover, initially said Ball taught the courses. Authorities were told by an unnamed source that Flowers paid Ball a total of $4,000 in cash.
But Ball told authorities and the Roanoke Times & World-News on Wednesday that he did not teach the classes.
Ball said Wednesday that he knew Flowers because they both had worked at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, Flowers as professor and chairman of the division of theater, and Ball as assistant director of public relations and sports information director.
Flowers said after court that he wants to see his name cleared but on the advice of his lawyer, Berrell Shrader of Blacksburg, would not comment on the allegations.
by CNB