OBX Hotline fires GM of its thrift stores

Comes a month after executive director placed on leave

A representative of the Outer Banks Hotline confirmed today that the non-profit organization has fired the General Manger of its thrift stores, Tammy Cross. In a brief Voice interview on Aug. 19, Hotline Board Chair Judy Burnette, who said the Cross had worked there in some capacity for 17 years, declined to give a reason for the dismissal.

Cross’ departure from her post suggests more churn at the top of an organization that provides crisis intervention, safe house, advocacy and education services, often for women in abusive situations. And it comes less than a month after the Hotline announced, on July 24, that Executive Director Michael Lewis had been placed on administrative leave. Numerous sources say that Cross and Lewis have had a personal relationship.

That announcement about Lewis’s status followed a July 21 story published by the Voice detailing allegations about Lewis’ workplace behavior and sexual harassment that led former Hotline Safe House Manager Katy Haslar to file a June 8 formal complaint against him. The July 21 story also reported that the Voice had interviewed other women who alleged inappropriate behavior by Lewis, including one who also filed a complaint with the Hotline Board.

In a response to Haslar’s allegations, the Hotline had launched its own investigation that also led to the hiring of a private investigator. The current status of that probe is unclear.