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LAWRENCE
Newly elected Lawrence School Committee member James Stokes, facing public scrutiny about his military and criminal records, now has a new challenge - this one from within his own family.
Stokes's long-estranged son, James Stokes Jr., has vowed to dog him at upcoming committee meetings and tell Lawrence residents that his father "abandoned his family" in the early 1970s and never served in the military as Stokes has maintained.
In an interview, Stokes Jr., 41, said he has "been waiting for years" to get back at his father for leaving him, his mother, Jeannette, and his sister with no money, and "can't wait" to speak about his father's past at the committee's public forums.
"I can't believe someone with his background would run for office," the son said from his home in Nashua. "People need to know who this man really is."
The senior Stokes, who has drawn attention because of his criminal record and is facing questions over whether he served in the military as he asserted on election documents, declined to comment on his son's plans to speak out against him.
But he disputed his son's charge that he left his family with no support.
"I did not abandon my family," Stokes said last week, following a School Committee meeting at which he was introduced. "I sent money to them. I sent checks. I sent Christmas cards. I couldn't go near the house. We had a legal separation, then [a] divorce. I can't say no more."
Stokes said it has been years since he last saw his son and would probably not recognize him.
Stokes beat incumbent Greg Morris for the District F School Committee seat last month, after running unsuccessfully for a number of Lawrence and Lowell offices over the years.
Shortly after the November election, the city conducted a criminal offender record information check on Stokes after he volunteered to play Santa Claus in a holiday celebration at City Hall.
City officials then told him he could not play the part in the holiday event. The Lawrence Public Schools system also requires committee members to undergo CORI checks.
A similar inquiry by the Globe found that Stokes was arrested in 1963 on charges of larceny and forgery and was convicted the following year.
In addition, he was charged in 1986 in Lowell District Court with forgery, larceny, and uttering, and in Newbury District Court with a compulsory insurance violation.
Records in Lowell District Court indicate that Stokes was sentenced to serve three months in a house of correction for forging documents related to a raffle and a bazaar in 1986. The insurance violation resulted in a $125 fine.
Stokes acknowledged that he had served three months in jail for the 1964 conviction but said that he did not serve time in the 1986 case.
Criminal-offender records from North Carolina also show that Stokes served at least three months in prison there in 1974 for cheating someone over property and services. Stokes denied serving time in North Carolina. But records show that a James Stokes with the same date of birth and Social Security number was in jail there in 1974.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Mayor Michael J. Sullivan said the city clerk's office is also investigating whether Stokes falsified election documents by claiming he is a veteran. At voter forums, Stokes has also said he served 20 years in the Marines. However, Captain B.E. Binstock, a spokeswoman for the Marines, told the Globe this month that the Marines have no record of a James Stokes with either of the two birth dates Stokes used on his documents. The dates of birth would make him either 63 or 65 today.
Sullivan said the city clerk is investigating whether Stokes violated election laws. "We're proceeding cautiously, taking it step by step," he said. "But there are some serious concerns if the veteran status was used on the ballot."
Last week, Stokes said he had been advised by his lawyer not to talk about his military history. He would not give the name of his lawyer.
He told the School Committee that, despite the city investigation and the publicity about his past, he would "stay and fight" to keep his seat. The new committee is scheduled to take office Jan. 3.
The younger Stokes said that if his father chooses to stay on, he will show up and present divorce documents, other court papers, and newspaper articles to the committee that will offer more details about his father's past.
"I'll be honest with you: I've been trailing him for years and waiting for him to slip up," said the son. "This is a long time coming."
He said he and his family are upset that the elder Stokes is trying to pass himself off as a father figure and veteran.
Sullivan, who chairs the School Committee, said he hopes the family dispute does not get out of hand. "That certainly takes people off the scope of what we were elected to do," Sullivan said. "We were elected here to set policy and to help the Lawrence kids further excel. . . . We really can't get muddled and involved in the personalities of families."
Priscilla Baez, another newly elected member of the committee, said all of the drama could be avoided if Stokes simply steps down. "If what is coming out is true," said Baez, referring to news about Stokes's criminal record and questions about his military service, "then I think he should resign."
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
