For two Carteret County men, waterfront land is worth nearly three years in jail

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Brothers make stand for Family Home

Imagine being in jail for since March 17, 2011 with little prospect of release. Your crime? Refusing to vacate land which you believe has been in your family for 60 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.