District attorney on trial after hiring fellow DA’s wife

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A former district attorney is acting as his own lawyer as he stands trial on felony charges. Prosecutors say he hired a fellow district attorney’s wife and paid her when she didn’t work.

Wallace Bradsher is attacking the credibility of almost every witness, from the woman he hired to her district attorney husband and the State Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to the case.

Prosecutors say Bradsher was chief prosecutor in Person and Caswell counties when he arranged with then-Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer to hire each other’s wives to get around an ethics law.

Blitzer pleaded guilty in a deal where if he testified against Bradsher and stayed out of trouble, the plea would disappear.

Prosecutors say Bradsher let Blitzer’s wife take nursing classes during working hours.