WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – St. Mary’s Health Center has filed for a temporary restraining order against St. Mary’s Church after seeing what they call “disturbing” Ring doorbell footage.
“It feels like a slap in the face,” said Laura Vinson, director of the health center.
The health center said in a video taken on Friday, Oct. 12, priest Father Thomas Davis can be seen watching with a deputy as a locksmith changes the locks at the center.
And in a Ring doorbell video taken this week, Priest can be seen instructing a worker to remove the Ring doorbell camera himself.
“This was a bit of a shock to me because we hadn’t received anything letting us know this was going to happen,” Vinson said.
Since then, neither Vinson nor her staff have been able to enter the hospital. As a result, it has had to turn away nearly 30 patients in the past week. The health center is the only location in town that provides free dental services to low-income residents.
“If I had the money, I would have left here,” Vinson said. “We just want to be able to take care of people.”
When WECT reached out to church leaders, we were directed to their website, which included a statement regarding the situation.
“The clinic operator has repeatedly and consistently refused to cooperate with our schedule to vacate the premises and relocate to a new location by the end of the calendar year. , said our only remedy was to give the clinic a trespass notice.
We didn’t want to file a trespass notice. However, the center continued to refuse to schedule an exit, and unfortunately our only option was to accept the court’s conclusion that the clinic operator was a trespasser. Last Friday, we filed a trespass notice on the clinic in accordance with the court’s ruling. ”
At least one parishioner has left the church over church leadership’s dealings with the health center, and he said he knows of many more who have left for similar reasons.
“I feel strongly that it is very important to keep this clinic open for the poor people in our area who are in dire need of medical care, and to help those who are unable to help themselves. It’s the essence of our religion,” said former parishioner Ralph Maggio. .
Vinson filed for a temporary restraining order and hopes she and her staff will be able to see patients again. She plans to change the locks again on Friday morning so she can enter the clinic she hosts later that day.
Due to the temporary restraining order, both the Basilica and the health center will be back in court on October 25th to determine whether the restraining order should be changed to a preliminary injunction.
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