June 19th 2024.
Harlan Frye, the once esteemed human resources director for the North Carolina Department of Revenue, found himself in a state of shock as he was recently let go from his position. The reason? It turns out a man with the same name as him had been arrested in Los Angeles. It was a case of mistaken identity that cost Frye his job.
The mix-up began when several concerned individuals reached out to WRAL in Raleigh, reporting that a man by the name of Harlan Frye from Greensboro had been taken into custody in Long Beach, California. The charges against him were quite serious, including "Arranging a Meeting with a Child for Lewd Purposes." He was arrested on June 9 and was later released on June 13.
According to official records, the agency confirmed that Frye, who was 62 years old, had been the HR Director since April 2022. However, he was swiftly terminated on June 10 - the day after the other Harlan Frye's arrest. While it has not been confirmed if the director was indeed the one arrested, it appears that the mix-up was enough for the agency to take swift action.
The Long Beach Police Department responded to a report of a man attempting to meet with a minor on June 9 at around 7:30 PM. It was later discovered that Frye had unknowingly made plans to meet a "cyber vigilante," who was posing as a minor online. As soon as the meeting was arranged, law enforcement was contacted, and Frye was apprehended.
Sadly, this is not the first time that state and federal officials have been accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior with minors or trafficking. In November 2023, a U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity official, Stephen Hovanic, was among those arrested in a human trafficking operation in Coweta County, Georgia. Hovanic had been the Chief of Staff for the DoDEA Americas since 2010 and was facing charges of prostitution, pandering, pimping, and drug-related offenses.
DoDEA, responsible for overseeing education from Pre-K to 12th grade for the Department of Defense, operates 160 schools in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Hovanic had been in charge of the schools located in the Americas. Once the agency was made aware of his arrest, they released a statement saying, "We are aware of an alleged incident involving a DoDEA employee in the Americas Region. As there are ongoing legal processes, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
They also added, "Any questions regarding the incident should be directed to the local law enforcement agency involved." It is a troubling and unfortunate situation, and the agency is taking the necessary steps to address it. As for Harlan Frye, he is now left to pick up the pieces and move on from this unfortunate case of mistaken identity.
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