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‘Professor
of the Year’
a convicted felon
By Dan Frazier
Tea Party Editor
In September,
Flagstaff Tea Party reported that William Randolph Rhoton, a former
Northern Arizona University professor who was named “Arizona
Professor of the Year” in 1998, claimed to hold a degree from a
Russian art academy that some say never existed. Rhoton was later
caught up in a grade-change scandal and left NAU for reasons that
are not entirely clear. Meanwhile, during the same period, former
NAU president Clara Lovett stepped down, possibly because she feared
that Rhoton’s questionable credentials would come to light during
the investigation of the grade-change scandal. The full story is
available at www.flagteaparty.org.
Now, new
information has come to light that casts further doubt on the
appropriateness of Rhoton’s Professor of the Year award. Based on
tips from additional sources, and research at the Coconino County
Superior Court, FTP has learned that Rhoton was indicted by a grand
jury in April of 1987 on 15 felony counts of theft and burglary. The
series of crimes took place between June of 1986 and March of 1987.
At the time of his indictment, Rhoton was a 33-year-old juvenile
counselor.
Nine counts
against Rhoton were ultimately dismissed. However, on Jan. 21, 1988
Rhoton was convicted on six of the counts against him, including
burglarizing an American Red Cross office, illegally entering and
attempting to burglarize the offices of the U.S.G.S, and stealing
tools, camera equipment, binoculars, and more from Wupatki National
Monument. Rhoton was also convicted of stealing a semi-automatic
pistol, camping equipment and a boat from other nonresidential
locations. He was sentenced to a year in the county jail and four
years of intensive probation. He apparently served his full jail
sentence. He was also ordered to pay $4,030 in restitution and a
$600 fine.
Several of the
crimes that Rhoton was accused of took place in offices located in
the Fourth Street Professional Building. Rhoton’s father, Nelo,
had been the landlord of the building. Nelo died in August 1987
after being hit by a car, just a few months after his son’s crime
spree apparently ended. At the time, Nelo
was in poor health and was having legal troubles of his own.
Nelo had been indicted by a Coconino County grand jury in September
1986 on 44 counts of fraudulent schemes stemming from his work as an
insurance salesman. Nelo allegedly defrauded his insurance customers
out of more than $3 million. Earlier in his life, Nelo had been the
president of the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, and the president of
the Flagstaff stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints.
Though his
father’s criminal case was covered even in the Arizona Republic,
Rhoton’s own indictment and subsequent trial appears to have
received minimal press coverage. It may well be that Clara Lovett
was unaware of Rhoton’s criminal record when she named him Arizona
Professor of the Year.
Today, William
Randolph Rhoton lives in Duluth, Minn., where he works as the
director of the St. Luke’s Foundation. According to the
foundation’s Web site, “the mission of St. Luke’s Foundation
is to provide financial support that advances the goals and
objectives of St. Luke’s Hospital. …” Rhoton is listed as the
person people should contact if they wish to make a donation to the
nonprofit foundation.
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