REELS BROTHERS MAKE A STAND FOR THEIR FAMILY HOME
Imagine
being in jail since March 17, 2011 with little prospect of release. Your
crime? Refusing to vacate land which you believe has been in your family for 100
years. Melvin Davis and LiCurtis Reels are convinced a development firm illegally
seized their land by misusing the Torrens Act. They are being held for contempt
of court and are incarcerated in Beaufort, NC.
The Reels Family believe their land was taken from them through the misuse
of the Torrens Act. Gertrude Reels' grandfather Elijah Reels bought the land in
1911, but lost it to back taxes in 1944. So, his son, Mitchell Reels, bought
the land from the county [in 1944].
When Mitchell Reels died in 1970,
leaving no will, his heirs, including daughter Gertrude, believed the land was
theirs. Two of Gertrude's sons, Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels, built
houses on the land.
Then, Mitchell Reels'
brother, Shedrick Reels from New Jersey, came in to the picture. He
presented a deed to the land saying his dad, Elijah Reels, wanted him to have
it. The deed was dated 1950 – six years after Eljah lost the land and
Mitchell purchased it.
In 1978, the Reels family hired a local
attorney to represent them against the
claim by Shedrick. They won the case. The court ruled that 1944 deed was the legitimate
claim.
In 1979, a Torrens Act certificate was obtained from Shedrick, who had no legal
claim to the land. The certificate stated
that the Reels have no objection to giving the a parcel of land to the
developers.
The Torrens Act is used when land is
in dispute. During such an action, all the heirs to the land should be notified,
and a new claim is registered to the new owner. None of the Reels family in
Merrimon were notified. Eventually, this parcel was purchased by the Adam Creek
Associates.
Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels were
incarcerated when they refused to destroy their homes and leave the land after
the courts ruled that Adams Creek Associates legally owns it. The family has
continued to fight this ruling.
