NC investigator says Easley probe to last longer

RALEIGH — A North Carolina prosecutor investigating potential state criminal charges involving former Gov. Mike Easley says he won’t wrap up by February as he had thought.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Friday that Rowan County District Attorney Bill Kenerly is consulting federal authorities and expects he will take many months before reaching any conclusion.

Kenerly is a Republican and has been a district attorney for two decades. He was assigned to investigate if Easley violated election laws because Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby is a friend of the former two-term Democratic governor.

The special state prosecutor’s delay means Easley will remain under a cloud well into next year. Easley has denied wrongdoing.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)