tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55229776644042811642024-03-13T22:31:50.466-04:00Crime & PunishmentA chat about all things criminalUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-9280200100493437112013-06-11T21:33:00.000-04:002013-06-11T21:33:53.650-04:00$450 for horse manure removal, $69.26 for Bojangles' The first head-scratcher was a $450 bill for horse manure removal -- an expense paid to a South Carolina company called Scoop D Doo Inc. <br />
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On Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police released an itemized list of <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/06/11/4100025/cmpd-retains-security-gear-after.html">how they spent nearly $50 million </a>to secure the Democratic National Convention. <br />
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The list included a lot of things we expected -- $2.7 million for a video management system, $1.9 million for ballistic helmets and chest protectors, $1.54 million for housing. But as I perused the list, I kept being drawn to the (mostly) small-ticket items that seemed like quirky purchases for an event that had been designated as a potential National Security threat. <br />
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The horse manure removal was one of those things. Police paid $450 to a Rock Hill-based company called Scoop D Doo Inc. to remove horse droppings (From <a href="http://www.scoop-d-doo.com/">Scoop D Doo's website</a>: "We've seen our customers' back yards turn from a smelly dog poo land to a thriving lush green haven in a matter of weeks.") The DNC's temporary horse paddock was set up in First Ward, but a <a href="https://www.bja.gov/Publications/2012-DNC-Quick-Look.pdf">Department of Justice Report</a> offered some criticism: "Event attendees found horses to be impressive looking, but this event did not lend to their need." Still, police paid $75 for farrier services (those are the people who put shoes on the horses) and $400 to pressure wash the garage after the horses were gone. <br />
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Among the other expenses: <br />
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<ul>
<li>Police paid $9,999.82 for mass arrest tracking system software, although they never made a mass arrest. </li>
<li>$949 went for something described only as chainsaw rentals </li>
<li>$9,654 paid for shin guards for bicycle officers </li>
<li>$17,000 purchased "aerial photography of event area." </li>
<li>$103,545 went for a Porta-Jon for portable restrooms in the event area for use by officers</li>
<li>$9,300 went to Impromteau Inc. for Lanyards for DNC credentials </li>
<li>The department paid the Charlotte Neighborhood and Business services $1,680 to clean up graffiti. </li>
<li>$1,049.70 went to Dick's Clothing & Sports for portable tents. (Were the tents for undercover officers who infiltrated the protesters' encampment at Marshall Park?) </li>
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And make what you will of what the department paid for food. Officers who patrolled the city or who worked undercover were given a per diem to eat wherever they could. The joint information center ate food from Queen City Catering and Waiter's Choice. But most officers got three meals at the R&R Center at Central Piedmont Community College.<br />
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A sampling of what they ate: <br />
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<li>$450.40 went to Chik-Fil-A, but only $69.26 went to Bojangles'. Arby's, the purveyor of roast beef sandwiches, received $31,878.39 for food. </li>
<li>In the sandwich category, officers ate $49,018.68 worth of food from Jersey Mike's and spent $50,073.58 on food from Firehouse Subs. Another $82,262.63 went to Jasons' Deli. </li>
<li>Compass Group (at Johnson & Wales University) received $22,358.40 for food, while Johnson C. Smith, where most officers stayed, received $202,761.50 to feed officers. </li>
<li>Pepsi Cola received $95,686.50 to quench officers' thirst. The city paid $9,612.69 for ice. </li>
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The department also paid $1.54 million for housing. The bulk of that went to Johnson C. Smith, which got $726.289.97 to house officers. Johnson & Wales University received $188,333.04. -- <em>Cleve R. Wootson Jr. </em><br />
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Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-35525097396646651802013-06-07T14:00:00.003-04:002013-06-07T14:00:37.796-04:00How to avoid being a victim of Charlotte's most prevalent crime. The bad news is that criminals who break into cars and steal things are finding new and more sophisticated ways to victimize people. The good news, police say, is that thefts from autos are one of the most preventable crimes. <br />
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Earlier today, police arrested two men for allegedly <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/06/07/4091697/two-suspects-arrested-in-charlotte.html">breaking into cars </a>at the government plaza parking deck in the center city. Last month, local police and federal authorities said they broke up an<a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/23/4058960/cmpd-secret-service-bust-atm-fraud.html"> organized crime ring</a> that stole checkbooks from cars, then used them to make phony deposits into the suspects' bank accounts. That means many people were victimized twice, first by broken windows and stolen goods, then later when money disappeared from bank accounts. <br />
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Last year, thefts from autos accounted for nearly one in every four crimes, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police <a href="http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/CMPD/safety/CrimeStat/Documents/CS12Dec-MonthlySummary.pdf">Crime Statistics</a>. But police have long contended that people can "harden" themselves to these types of crimes. One officer told me he takes every thing out of his car when he leaves. (I contended that a messy car practically lived in by, say, a reporter would make it hard for a thief to get in and out inconspicuously.)<br />
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The car break-in story is a bit more nuanced than that. For years, investigators didn't go to the scene of car break-ins because the crimes had such a low solve rate. Instead, the department fielded reports over the phone or via the Internet. I've taken a number of calls from people incensed that police didn't send someone to dust for fingerprints on their car. Car break-ins went down after Rodney Monroe became chief in 2009 and changed the policy. <br />
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Through it all, police used public awareness campaigns to get car owners to turn their vehicles into less-desirable targets. A few years back, police launched a television campaign encouraging people to take small, easily-pawned goods out of their car. They<a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/22/4057227/cmpd-tries-to-prevent-uptick-in.html"> reiterated that advice</a> before Memorial Day weekend, when thousands of visitors were expected in the city for race week. <br />
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Here are some of the better tips: <br />
<ul>
<li>Lock your car doors and windows </li>
<li>Install removable electronics, such as CD players, that you can take with you when you leave. </li>
<li>Don't leave anything visible. Tempting items include small electronics, a purse or computer bag </li>
<li>Avoid putting valuables in the trunk once you arrive at your location. Some thieves watch parking lots waiting for victims to stow things, then break a window and pull the trunk release </li>
<li>Park in secured, well-lighted areas, or in a garage, if possible</li>
<li>Avoid GPS holders with suction cups. Even if the device isn't visible, the ring the devices leave on the window often signals to thieves that a GPS device is hidden inside. The same goes for a visible iPod cord or a cell phone charger. </li>
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<em>--Cleve R. Wootson Jr. </em><br />
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Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-40741336313206650572013-03-11T07:00:00.000-04:002013-03-11T07:11:07.881-04:00A drone makes its debut<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskam8nIEyh4N86yA4EDBQ67kq6iQVoPohBZAhsLgh7KsPzlEWcPJrDbCVoBPwgygy2bGSerxMfmP8-mc-akb6QkHMofnZeD6Vj1rae5rMQ7j2_3TULa5hp3jAEfLrNfBmaLAwXOBMwQXk/s1600/cyberbug_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskam8nIEyh4N86yA4EDBQ67kq6iQVoPohBZAhsLgh7KsPzlEWcPJrDbCVoBPwgygy2bGSerxMfmP8-mc-akb6QkHMofnZeD6Vj1rae5rMQ7j2_3TULa5hp3jAEfLrNfBmaLAwXOBMwQXk/s1600/cyberbug_2.JPG" height="303" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The American Civil Liberties Union<a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/10/3906397/gaston-police-departments-dormant.html"> wants a closer look</a> at how police departments are using unmanned aerial vehicles and other military technology originally intended for use overseas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But some in North Carolina have had a close look at how they work -- and how they don't. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a reporter covering Gaston County in 2006, I was at the commissioners meeting when police got approval to buy the $30,000 drone. And I was there a month later when it failed its debut. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Several things went wrong. At some point, the rudder broke on the craft and it couldn't turn left. It also stopped responding to the global positioning signals that guide it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So instead of seeing a display of aeronautic innovation, we saw a grey fuselage slowly disappearing into the horizon. At the end of the demonstration, operators had to essentially crash-land the Cyberbug in a field away from the cameras. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gaston County Police believed that for the price of a patrol car, they had purchased a substitute for a police helicopter -- a device that could track marijuana growing fields or help search for runaways. Then-Chief Bill Farley even suggested that other county departments could use the device to, say, get aerial pictures or video of ongoing construction. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After it crashed, county police told us we were seeing a glitch. In a story the next day, I wrote: "Farley asserts that the police department and the county have a valuable tool. They just have to work out the bugs and get officers more training, he said." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But seven years later, the Cyberbug has never been used outside of training.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unmanned aerial vehicles have come far since that flight. According to the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/u/unmanned_aerial_vehicles/index.html">New York Times</a>, the Pentagon has about 7,000 unmanned drones, up from 50 a decade ago. And the makers of the Cyberbug have <a href="http://www.cyberaerospace.com/?page_id=43">updated the device</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last week, the city of Monroe gave approval for its police department to buy a drone. So we may see another debut soon. -- Cleve R. Wootson Jr. </span></div>
Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-60550431332184745912013-03-04T19:31:00.001-05:002013-03-04T19:31:44.927-05:00Fired officer's case provides inside look at how CMPD disciplines
officersA rare public view of a fired officer's attempt to keep his job may motivate other officers in trouble to open their appeal hearings, according to the president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg fraternal order of police. <br />
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Last week, the Charlotte Civil Service Board upheld the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's decision to fire Chuck Adkins, a former captain who had worked in Internal Affairs, Communications and in the watch commander's office.<br />
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Stories about the appeal hearing were broadcast on TV and written about in the paper, and watched closely by the department's nearly 1,800 sworn officers. <br />
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The department said Adkins broke CMPD policy by failing to immediately alert law enforcement officers about his Sept. 19 conversation with a woman who came to his home while he was in his garage, with his marked CMPD cruiser parked outside. <br />
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Adkins took the unusual step of asking that his Civil Service Board hearing be open to the public. He also notified several media outlets, including the Observer, about the hearing. (Officers who are disciplined by the department can appeal to the civil service board. Disciplined officers can also request that their hearings be open to the public, though most don't.) <br />
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In an e-mail to the Observer, Adkins said "I hope members of the media will attend as several CMPD employees who feel they were unjustly 'targeted' in the past plan on attending part or all of this hearing." <br />
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Adkins wasn't a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, which sometimes helps pay the legal costs of officers accused of wrongdoing by the department. <br />
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But Todd Walther, a CMPD sergeant and the president of the FOP, said Adkins' case could motivate other officers to elect to have open hearings. <br />
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"It allows the community to see them as a real human being instead of just a uniform," Walther said. "It's not a secret. We make mistakes just like anyone. I think in an open forum, it could be positive to show that we're not just a badge and a gun." --Cleve R. Wootson Jr. <br />
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Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-75141817848202136902012-09-10T18:08:00.001-04:002012-09-10T18:09:08.200-04:00Monroe: Police negotiated with protesters during DNC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said he caught two hours of sleep most nights during the Democratic National Convention, taking naps on the couch of the his office at CMPD's uptown headquarters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the final protest ended, Monroe, 55, says he hustled to Time Warner Cable arena to hear the final moments of President Barack Obama's acceptance speech. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Monroe talked with the Observer about the department's handling of the convention -- and the hundreds of demonstrators who descended on the city last week. We wrote about <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/08/3513143/monroe-flexibility-open-dialogue.html">Monroe's interactions with protesters</a> on Saturday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some quotes from the interview: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The department has new resources:</b> "When w<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">e went through identifying security-related resources that we were going to purchase, we were very mindful of trying to focus on those things that not only would help us in securing the convention, but would also be resources that we could use going forward, whether it's a camera system, whether it's a bicycle, whether it's the motorcycles that we were able to purchase." (The city received a $50 million federal grant that paid for the new equipment.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Monroe openly negotiated with protesters:</b> "There were two things that we were very clear on. We clearly recognized their First Amendment right to demonstrate and we were looking to facilitate that whenever and however possible. And number two was that we weren't going to tolerate property damage or violence toward officers or others. So those were the two non-negotiating points. We made it clear that anything between that we were willing to have a discussion about. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And there were a number of times when they wanted to go along a certain route and we would analyze that request. As long it didn't negatively affect either an event or a traffic pattern we were trying to maintain -- whether it was the delegate bus route or one of the dignitary escort routes -- we were willing to talk about it and make some kind of allowance. But we didn't want to come off as trying to hamper their ability to exercise their First Amendment rights."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Monroe slept on office couch, but managed to see part of Obama's speech: </b> "There were 24-hour-a-day events occurring that necessitated a response by a number of personnel. I did take a couple naps on the couch, but I also had a place to stay nearby that allowed me to get at least two hours per night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the last protest, I was able to get to the arena catch the last 15 minutes (of the president's speech)." --<b>Cleve R. Wootson Jr. </b></span></div>
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<br />Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-91720486125576454062012-08-23T18:36:00.000-04:002012-08-23T18:36:00.876-04:00Overcash named Concord's deputy chief of policeConcord police veteran Allen Overcash has been promoted to deputy chief of the police department, city officials announced Thursday.<br />
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Overcash has spent his entire law enforcement career with the Concord Police Department since becoming a patrol officer in 1983, officials said in a statement.<br />
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In 2003, after working in various roles in the department, he was promoted to major and supervised the department's first Special Investigations Unit, which was called on to investigate serious crimes, as well as unsolved homicides.<br />
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As deputy chief, Overcash will replace Guy Smith, who was promoted to police chief last year.<br />
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In his new role, Overcash will help with the overall operation of the department, and he'll also be involved in the development of the budget, policies and coordination with other agencies, officials said.<br />
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"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I've been given in this great community and department," Overcash said in a statement.<br />
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Overcash graduated from Concord High School and then received his undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees from Pfeiffer University. He's a member of the Concord Rotary Club and Forest Hil United Methodist Church, where he works with youth.<br />
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"Deputy Chief Overcash will be an excellent addition to the Police Department's top management," said Assistant City Manager and former police
chief Merl Hamilton. "He has a lengthy and varied career in law enforcement. The fact
his career has been spent entirely in Concord, as has that of Chief
Smith, makes the Police Department's commitment to this community even
stronger."<br />
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Overcash will officially begin his new role on Sept. 3.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Concord Police Deputy Chief Allen Overcash</span></div>
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<i>--Meghan Cooke</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-30320094529669753342012-04-25T17:05:00.001-04:002012-04-25T17:07:21.352-04:00CMPD report: Crime up in 2012<span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlotte-Mecklenburg police on Wednesday released first-quarter crime statistics for 2012. And in a sharp contrast from the past three years, the crime index is up by 12 percent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Click <a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2012/04/25/16/25/d3ZKq.So.138.pdf">here to read the full report</a> from police, including a breakdown of crimes by division.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Among the highlights:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">-- </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were 1,208 reported violent crimes from January to March, an increase of 23 percent over the first three months of 2011</span>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-- Property crimes also were up in the first quarter, with 7,427 reported incidents versus 6,727 for the same period a year ago</span>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-- Homicides doubled in the opening quarter, with 12 this year versus 6 this time last year. By comparison, there were 15 homicides in the final quarter of 2011, according to the report.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-- Vehicle thefts are down nearly 12 percent. Through March, 397 of the thefts had been reported compared to 450 for this time last year</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether the trend will continue for the rest of the year is left to be seen. Police said preliminary figures from the first three weeks of April has dropped the 2012 crime rate to some 7.8 percent.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">--April Bethea</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">abethea@charlotteobserver.com </span></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-85405031016489931312012-04-12T14:14:00.004-04:002012-04-12T14:56:11.875-04:00Astronaut Mark Kelly talks to Charlotte audience about space, wife Gabrielle Giffords, and perseveranceAstronaut Mark Kelly -- who became the center of international attention when his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head during a 2011 assassination attempt -- was the keynote speaker at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation's annual luncheon. <br /><br />The foundation raises money to fund police needs not included in the city's budget.<br /><br />In remarks at the Westin Hotel that lasted about 45 minutes, Kelly touched on a number of subjects, from his wife's obsession with U2 lead singer Bono to the unpredictability of life. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On his wife:</span> "She's doing well, she's in a good mood." He said Giffords goes through about six hours of physical therapy five days a week, and puts in extra work on weekends. At some point, Kelly said, Giffords plans to continue in public service, although they're not sure in what capacity.<br /><br />He said the couple has been invited to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte in September. She's capable of traveling, but the family doesn't know whether the convention will conflict with her rehabilitation schedule.<br /><br />He said the shooting brought his family face-to-face with the unpredictability of life. "I'd flown into space and I'd flown 35 combat missions, but Gabby almost lost her life just doing her job," he said. "It's important for everyone to understand things can change for us in an instant."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On his arm: </span>Kelly was wearing a sophisticated brace to immobilize his right arm. He said he had torn his bicep while using some of his daughter's pole-vaulting equipment. Kelly said he had pole-vaulted in high school. "I was telling my wife about how much my arm hurt," Kelly said. "She looked up from her fruit and yogurt and said 'You've gotta be kidding me.'"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Perseverance: </span>The accomplished astronaut said at first he was a horrible pilot. When he first landed on an aircraft carrier, his instructor said "Are you sure this is for you?" <br /><br />"How good you do at the beginning of anything you try is not an indication of how good you'll be if you don't give up," Kelly said. <br /><br />Kelly said his wife teaches him lessons on perseverance. "She tells me each and every day to deny the acceptance of failure," he said. "This woman will not give up."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor: </span>Kelly was scheduled to command the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor before Giffords was shot. "This was going to be the pinnacle of my career, and I told my boss, you've gotta replace me," he said. Giffords was ultimately moved to a rehabilitation facility in Houston, which allowed Kelly to continue training. "This was a controversial decision for me," he said. On the day Endeavor touched down, Kelly said, Giffords wasn't there as she usually was because she was having surgery.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">-Cleve R. Wootson Jr.</span><br />Twitter: @CleveWootson<br />cwootson@charlotteobserver.comCleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-16541475982571377972012-03-27T15:46:00.002-04:002012-03-27T15:56:06.345-04:00Summoned to jury duty? There's an app for that.Mecklenburg County residents summoned to serve on a jury can now access information about their duty online.<br /><br />By visiting <a href="https://jury.mecklenburgcountync.gov/Login.aspx">jury.mecklenburgcountync.gov</a>, people can search for information by entering their juror ID number or Social Security number. The website allows them to confirm their juror status and date, request a deferral for duty and even create an email reminder. People using a smart phone will be automatically redirected to the county's mobile application.<br /><br />Since the online jury management system was developed nearly a year ago, the county has received about 4,400 requests for deferral and more than 3,100 requests to be excused from duty through the website, officials said.<br /><br />Court officials said they believe the app will reduce the costs and manpower needed to respond to mail and phone inquiries regarding jury duty.<br /><br />This is the county's third mobile site. Mobile apps are also available to search arrests and warrants in the county.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">--Meghan Cooke</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-46764331609884264542012-03-07T10:38:00.007-05:002012-03-07T14:30:48.044-05:00In "suicide by cop" case, pull gun or Taser?<p>Gun or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Taser</span>?<br /></p><p>That was a choice two police officers had to make in what Charlotte-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Mecklenburg</span> Police are calling an apparent <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/03/06/3075311/police-on-scene-of-officer-involved.html">“suicide-by-cop” attempt</a> Tuesday night in northern Charlotte.</p><p></p>Police say the suicidal man, Fred <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Daye</span>, claimed he was schizophrenic and told 911 dispatchers that he'd gone off his medication. When officers got there, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Daye</span> told the officers he wanted to die and that he wanted the officers to pull the trigger.<br /><br />Officers told <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Daye</span> to show his hands, but at some point, he reached into his jacket<br /><br />What happened next will likely be mulled over by police officers and the general public for weeks, though officers point out that situations like this are almost always a split-second decision.<br /><br />One officer shot his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Taser</span> at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Daye</span> and another fired his department-issued shotgun. The shotgun round struck <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Daye's</span> left elbow, police said, but it's unclear whether he was struck by the pellet or the wadding from the round. Doctors described the man's injury as a "flesh wound."<br /><br />Police are still investigating whether officers responded appropriately. “Those and other matters are being examined during these parallel investigations," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">CMPD</span> spokesman Rob <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Tufano</span> said. "We’re going to investigate this incident thoroughly before making any of those determinations.”<br /><br />But, in a close reading of the police account, an officer could make a case for pulling either weapon. The police department <a href="http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/CMPD/zstorage/InsideCMPD/Documents/600020UseofForceContinuum.pdf">has a use of force continuum</a>, and officers are trained to respond with the appropriate amount of force for any given situation -- everything from verbal commands to firing a police-issued weapon.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">CMPD's</span> directives provide some insight into what an officer should do when faced with a threat. Often, using a particular type of force is not an "either-or" proposition. In fact, police say, an officer's professional presence and verbal commands are uses of force that are always present, even when other force is applied.<br /><br />And one particular use of force, or weapon, can be used to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">de</span>-escalate several types of conflicts. Pepper spray, for example, can be used to combat defensive resistance (like when a person won't move from a blocked sidewalk) or aggravated aggression (like when a suspect approaches an officer with a knife).<br /><br />In a previous case where law enforcement officers applied different uses of force, one officer was fired.<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> In 2008, Brian Howie was shot after he was confronted by officers at a gas station on Central Avenue. An officer reported he suspected Howie had been drinking and tried to hide drugs in his car, so the officer called for backup. Howie was also shocked with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Taser</span> during the incident.<br /><br /></span><span class="text"><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Jenny <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Curlee</span>, the Charlotte-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Mecklenburg</span> police officer who shot Howie, was fired after a review board found the shooting was unjustified. -- Cleve R. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Wootson</span> Jr.<br /></span></p></span>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-51739700814289202282012-02-28T12:05:00.012-05:002012-02-28T14:31:17.894-05:00Indictment spells out former officer's drug dealing arrest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZrN2NPAzelr-an8-7yFsdo9W7fo6U_P-e_LRdrzngIaKV7yFTMdKObhjsDi_2qwrUehu_s_AdphH5lNiYnfak-qKQj69BDE2yq8ytSoMVMRfgdPxA2jKHOkzaWDTgLrjzAeZ1xiq693c/s1600/theodorekennedy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZrN2NPAzelr-an8-7yFsdo9W7fo6U_P-e_LRdrzngIaKV7yFTMdKObhjsDi_2qwrUehu_s_AdphH5lNiYnfak-qKQj69BDE2yq8ytSoMVMRfgdPxA2jKHOkzaWDTgLrjzAeZ1xiq693c/s320/theodorekennedy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714270382932282754" /></a><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Officers weren't surprised to find the drugs and the guns while searching an east Charlotte house at the tail end of a massive joint investigation. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">But, police say, they were surprised to be arresting one of their own -- former police officer Theodore Kennedy.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Kennedy was arrested Monday at the tail end of a four-month investigation into suspected drug dealers </span><a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/02/28/3052203/hotels-sit-at-interchange-of-drugs.html" style="font-size: 100%; ">using motels in northern Charlotte as a way station for crime</a><span style="font-size: 100%; ">.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Kennedy, who served as an officer from 1977 until 1993, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His wife, Roberta Kennedy, is also charged. </div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span>Little is known about Kennedy's time on the force. (<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 22px; text-align: -webkit-auto; ">In 1985, he shot a west Charlotte man in the mouth during stepped-up police activities after a shootout at Piedmont Courts. He wasn't charged with a crime.) </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; text-align: -webkit-auto; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; "><span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">But t</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 100%; ">he Kennedys alleged drug connections are spelled out in a <a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2012/02/28/14/11/VOXMB.So.138.pdf">federal indictment</a> that was submitted on Monday. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">On Monday morning, according to the indictment, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Kerwin Burke at 5042 The Plaza. (According to WCNC-TV, Burke is the boyfriend of Kennedy's daughter.) Officers figured Burke was at the home because his 1996 Chevy Caprice Classic was parked there. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">But when officers knocked on the front door, they were met by Kennedy, according to the affidavit. His wife came to the door too and consented to officers searching the house. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">When officers entered the couple's bedroom, they saw what appeared to be a mixture of crack and cocaine on the bed -- in all about 17.6 grams. Kennedy entered the bedroom and said "That's all hers." </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Officers asked Kennedy if he had any guns or weapons inside the bedroom and he responded "Yeah, I have a couple." </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Officers found seven guns scattered through the bedroom. They also found another baggie of cocaine in a dresser drawer. The drawer also contained "Kennedy's police identification from his previous service with CMPD." </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Monroe said Kennedy's status as a former officer won't shield him. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">"No one is immune from this," Monroe said at the news conference on Monday. "If you choose to engage in drug sales or gun-running in this community, you're a target." -- Cleve R. Wootson Jr. </div>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-81219110531063926622012-02-23T15:47:00.000-05:002012-02-23T15:47:27.955-05:00Prosecutors: Ponzi scheme takes $40 million from victims<br />
A federal grand jury in Charlotte this week indicted four men in connection with what prosecutors allege was an investment fraud conspiracy.<br />
<br />
Prosecutors have accused the men of operating "hedge funds" as part of a conspiracy that took in $40 million from victims for a <span style="background-color: white;">Ponzi </span>scheme operating under the name Black Diamond Capital Solutions.<br />
<br />
The indictment alleges that the defendants lied to get money from their victims by claiming, among other things, that they had done due diligence on Black Diamond and were operating legitimate hedge funds with significant safeguards. In reality, prosecutors say, neither claim was true.<br />
<br />
Prosecutors allege that one of the men stole more than a million dollars from victims to build his personal mansion.<br />
<br />
To read the U.S. Attorney's Office's news release, <a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2012/02/23/10/46/1pNUz5.So.138.pdf">click here</a>.<br />
<br />
To read the indictment, <a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2012/02/23/10/49/Wkqly.So.138.pdf">click here</a>.<br />
<br />
-- Gary L. Wright<br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-8027214751226343402012-02-20T13:57:00.000-05:002012-02-20T13:57:11.464-05:00Settlement: Former councilman Turner wins big<br />
<div class="body">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Former</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Charlotte</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">City</st1:placename></st1:place>
Council member Warren Turner at first was fired in July 2010 from his job as a state
probation officer. The following year he lost his bid for reelection.</div>
<div class="body">
<br /></div>
<div class="body">
But Turner, 47, appealed his firing. This month, a year and a
half after the firing, he got his job back. He’s no longer a probation officer.
But he’s working for the same salary only now as an judicial services
coordinator for the probation office in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Gaston</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
Judicial services coordinators are responsible for the intake of new probation
cases, preparing pre-sentencing reports and conducting initial risk-needs
assessments.</div>
<div class="body">
<br /></div>
<div class="body">
Turner was fired for missing meetings or drug screenings with at
least 14 probationers, according to the termination letter released in 2010 by
the DOC. The DOC also said Turner falsified at least one record of a home visit
with a probationer and reported visiting with probationers on days that he was
on leave or wasn’t scheduled to work.</div>
<div class="body">
<br /></div>
<div class="body">
N.C. Department of Correction officials aren’t saying much about
Turner’s firing and reinstatement. The settlement agreement says the DOC and
Turner have agreed that the only statement they’ll make about the firing,
reinstatement and reassignment is:</div>
<div class="body">
<br /></div>
<div class="body">
“The DOC has reviewed the formal appeal of Mr. Warren Turner.
After careful consideration of the issues raised by both Mr. Turner and DOC, the parties have reached
a mutual settlement agreement. The Department reviewed Mr. Turner’s level of
career experience and agrees to his reinstatement.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="body">
But it’s clear from the settlement agreement that Turner won big.
He’ll get back pay from the date of his firing to the date of his reinstatement.
The state also has agreed to pay $10,000 to Turner’s legal counsel for the cost
of his appeal.</div>
<div class="body">
<br /></div>
<div class="body">
To see the settlement agreement,
<a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2012/02/20/10/50/cYaC.So.138.pdf">click here</a>.</div>
<div class="body">
<br /></div>
<div class="body">
<i>Gary L. Wright</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-35361813357375761632012-02-17T21:17:00.006-05:002012-02-18T21:57:24.343-05:00CMPD offers workshops for Mecklenburg residentsRegistration is now open for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's spring workshops for the public.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The "community education workshops" will teach people about the department's history, recruitment process, training of recruits and officers, crime prevention techniques, criminal investigations, gangs, volunteer opportunities and more.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The workshops are open to Mecklenburg County residents age 18 and older. Applications are not necessary to attend, but registration for each workshop is required.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mecklenburg residents who are at least 18 years old can also apply to participate in the Citizens Academy program. Those who participate in this program will be able to see exercises and demonstrations of police operations. An application and background check is required to participate in the Citizens Academy.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The workshops will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at CMPD headquarters on East Trade Street in uptown or at the Police and Fire Training Academy on Shopton Road in southwest Charlotte.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The workshops begin March 13.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For more information and registration, visit <a href="http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/CMPD/organization/Administrative/PoliceTrainingAcademy/Pages/Citizens%20Academy.aspx">CMPD's website</a> or call 704-432-1655.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">--Meghan Cooke</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-16072885654706933062012-02-15T13:05:00.004-05:002012-02-15T13:30:44.338-05:00North Tryon Division gets new bikesAre two wheels better than four?<br /><br />The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's North Tryon Divison launched its new bike patrol during a press conference outside the Compare Foods at N. Tryon Street and Sugar Creek Road. <br /><br />Officers B. Etter, J. Wally and J. Lancaster make up the patrol, which will ride through business parking lots and some apartment complexes along North Tryon Street.<br /><br />Lt. Jeff Harless, the Response Area Commander for that part of the city, says officers will attempt to decrease larcenies from autos and robberies from businesses along the corridor. The bikes will make them more approachable, Harless says, and give them a bigger element of surprise when trying to combat crimes. <br /><br />"The bad guys aren't looking out for bikes, they're looking for patrol cars," Harless said.<br /><br />During the press conference, members of the new squad took some questions about whether they'll be taken as seriously on a bike. But bike officers were credited with one of the department's bigger success stories last year.<br /><span class="text"><p><span style="color:#000000;">Officers arrested 15 people in connection with a drug ring along North Tryon Street (in the Metro Division, just south of the North Tryon Division) where drug dealers <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/14/2452331/homeless-were-used-to-foster-drug.html">recruited homeless people from nearby shelters</a> to work as drug runners and deal-brokers.</span></p></span><span class="text"><span style="color:#000000;"> Officer Jared Porter, an officer who patrolled the area on bicycle, was one of the first to notice the trend. -- Cleve R. Wootson Jr.</span></span>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-20302653483134412392012-01-31T11:25:00.007-05:002012-01-31T19:07:22.656-05:00Occupy odds and ends: Safe initiative, smelly discovery<div class="MsoNormal">Some odds and ends from the Occupy Charlotte protests after police <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/31/2971011/cmpd-begins-occupy-eviction.html">removed tents from the camp</a>, which had stood since last fall: <o:p></o:p><o:p><br />
<br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe and Capt. Jeff Estes both called the initiative a success. No officers or protesters were injured and there were no reports of use of force. Officers were professional and didn't respond as protesters insulted them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> -------------------</o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9pRKMCwZtBpREvRpMDhlv3LtCbaO2NGshdYW_za4mGeD-NkAD-KDkqxFeHEEDTz9GRDpX89pPm2ctxxwF-zYG-iI8puCxEmih7UNSAH7ygxTQwl7zg7w7ySWJ9zsLbE5vtGdWpsDp5c/s1600/Screen-shot-2012-01-31-at-2.01.13-PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9pRKMCwZtBpREvRpMDhlv3LtCbaO2NGshdYW_za4mGeD-NkAD-KDkqxFeHEEDTz9GRDpX89pPm2ctxxwF-zYG-iI8puCxEmih7UNSAH7ygxTQwl7zg7w7ySWJ9zsLbE5vtGdWpsDp5c/s200/Screen-shot-2012-01-31-at-2.01.13-PM.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Fire Department's hazardous materials team was called out to the Occupy Charlotte site Tuesday, after police discovered that protesters were apparently using a storm drain as a bathroom. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">According to sources, the storm drain on the lawn of old City Hall empties into Little Sugar Creek. City officials were trying to figure out the most effective and environmentally friendly way to clean up the mess. It's unclear if police will be able to charge anyone with a crime. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">In October, a few weeks after the start of the Occupy Charlotte movement, organizers told city officials they'd like to set up portable bathrooms for people who have joined the movement, even appealing to Mayor Anthony Foxx for help. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">But city officials said they're not required to allow restroom facilities or other "semi-permanent" structures to be put on city property. It was unclear, until Monday when police broke up the camp, if the Occupiers had found a solution.<br />
<br />
<i>Photo: WCNC.com</i> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>-------------------</div><div class="MsoNormal">Occupiers talked extensively with members of the media on Sunday, after they were given their first warning about having to remove tents from the lawn of old City Hall. But there were some things organizers chose to keep secret, even going off to another part of the camp to have private discussions. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of those secrets was apparently a codeword for when officers arrived. When officers stormed out of police headquarters around 2:45 p.m. Monday, several occupiers yelled "Flamingo" and began running toward tents. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">-------------------</div><div class="MsoNormal">Some of the protest chants: <o:p></o:p></div><ul><li>"Arrest us, we'll multiply. Occupy will never die." <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul><ul><li>"Show me what a police state looks like. This is what a police state looks like." <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul><ul><li>"Free speech is not a crime. Occupy will never die." <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul><ul><li>"We are the 99%"<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>------------------- </div><div class="MsoNormal">As officers descended on the Occupy Charlotte camp, local TV stations chronicled nearly every move.<br />
<br />
But they weren't the only ones recording. At least two police officers were assigned to tape the interactions with protesters. And protesters made their own recordings. Some used camera phones, another person used an iPad to record the arrests.<br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Protesters have also been been recording on-air interviews with the media, saying they wanted to have the ability to correct any misinformation. Before an interview, the person going on camera would often yell "I need a spotter." It's unclear where the videos were filed or if they were ever used.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Video recordings have made national news in other Occupy protests. In October, Occupy Wall Street protesters in <st1:state st="on">New York</st1:state> claimed police tricked them, saying officers told protesters they could go onto the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Brooklyn</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>, then arresting hundreds. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state> police later released a video showing an officer with a megaphone, warning protesters not to walk on the bridge. <o:p></o:p></div>-------------------<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Occupy <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Charlotte</st1:place></st1:city> protesters had been preparing for a showdown with police for days. On Sunday, they had a group discussion about passive resistance and nonviolent protest.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">But organizers stressed that the decision about whether to get arrested or not was a personal choice by each individual protester.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">"You have to be practical with people's safety, with people's lives," said James Lee Walker II, who had been involved in the Occupy Charlotte protest since October. Like the majority of protesters, he wasn't arrested on Monday.</div><div class="MsoNormal">-------------------</div><div class="MsoNormal">At one point near the end of Monday's police initiative, protesters crossed <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Trade Street</st1:address></st1:street> where Chief Monroe and two dozen police officers watched the events unfold.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">"Since the police see fit to occupy the people's campground, why don't we go over there and show them some love?" said Michael Zytkow.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">When they got there, they did the hokey pokey. (They changed the last line to "You do the hokey pokey and you kiss your rights goodbye.") At one point, one man did the dance move "The worm."<br />
<br />
-- Cleve R. Wootson Jr.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-52699120256843513092012-01-13T20:57:00.014-05:002012-01-13T22:18:36.875-05:0015 recently convicted in Mecklenburg homicides and fatal crashes<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Fifteen people were convicted from October to December in Mecklenburg County cases of homicides and fatal crashes, according to a quarterly report released by the District Attorney’s Office.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><b>October<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Jeffrey Jenkins, 30, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2006 shooting death of 33-year-old Charles “Jake” Melton in Matthews. Jenkins was sentenced to up to nearly two years in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Tricia Rawana, 33, pleaded guilty to felony death by vehicle. In 2009, police said Rawana was impaired when she drove the wrong way on East W.T. Harris Boulevard and struck another car head-on. The crash killed the other driver, 43-year-old Kim Mobley. Rawana, who was hospitalized for about a month after the crash, was sentenced to 20-33 months in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><b>November</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">John Adams, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of his mother, 63-year-old Ada Adams. In June 2010, police said an ongoing custody dispute over John Adams' son resulted in the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"> shooting at a home off Beatties Ford Road. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">The boy called 911 and told dispatchers his father shot his grandmother in the kitchen. Ada Adams, a retired worker at a Lance snack food plant, had been shot in the chest, police said. John Adams was sentenced to about 16-20 years in prison.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Shamon Goins, 21, and Dantonio Hamilton, 20, each pleaded guilty to discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle in connection with the killing of Devon Clement, 20. Clement was shot in front of dozens of people at the Cook-Out restaurant on West Sugar Creek Road in May 2010. Prosecutors said the only gunshot that struck Clement was fired by another suspect, Cherelle Griffin, who pleaded guilty in September to second-degree murder. Goins, who was on probation at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to 25-39 months in prison. Hamilton received the same sentence, but it was suspended pending his successful completion of three years on supervised probation. Hamilton was also ordered to be put on electronic house arrest for 30 days.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Travis Moore, 26, pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in the 2010 crash near Charlotte Motor Speedway that killed Amanda George, 25. Police said George had gone to the Bank of America 500 race with friends but got separated from her group and was trying to find them. She was trying to cross U.S. 29, when she was hit by a truck driven by Moore, police said. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, but the sentence was suspended pending his successful completion of 18 months of supervised probation.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Jamarr Springs, 29, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and second-degree kidnapping. Prosecutors said Springs' girlfriend, Pamela Garmon, was planning to end their relationship in December 2010, and during an argument, Springs grabbed an AK-47 and shot her to death. When Springs fled, he tried to stop a car with two people inside and fired a shot at the car when they drove around him, prosecutors said. He later forced a driver out of a car at Northlake Mall and made the vehicle’s passenger ride with him as he drove to a relative’s house. At his sentencing, Springs said he loved Garmon and didn’t realize he was shooting at her because he was under the influence. He will spend up to about 48 years in prison.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Thomas Davis, 42, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Linda Wise, 54. Davis was taken into custody in Baltimore about three months after Wise was found beaten in her apartment on Effingham Road in August 2010. Neighbors said they had heard screaming from inside the apartment. Davis was sentenced to about 15-19 years in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">A jury found Shawn Howard, 29, guilty of murder and discharging a gun into occupied property in the killing of his landlord, Jacob Massachi, 53. Massachi was shot after trying to evict Howard and his girlfriend from a home in the Grier Heights neighborhood in July 2008. The couple hadn’t paid all of their rent, neighbors said, and Massachi had come to the home to remove Howard’s belongings. That’s when Howard shot the married father of two, according to neighbors. A Superior Court judge sentenced Howard to life in prison without the possibility of parole, as well as up to about three additional years in prison for the weapon charge.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><b>December</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Tracy Gilliam, 29, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the 2010 killing of his ex-girlfriend LaSheira Hall. Relatives said Hall, the mother of three, was holding a baby when Gilliam shot her. He was later arrested in Detroit. Gilliam was sentenced to up to about 34 years in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Mercedes Smith, 22, pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said she concealed the whereabouts of Corey Grant, who previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the September 2009 killing of Jimmy Sanderlin, 24. Smith was sentenced to six to eight months in prison, but the sentence was suspended pending her successful completion of two years of supervised probation.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Seth Smith, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor death by vehicle for the deaths of 26-year-old Courtney Puckett and her child. Puckett and her 15-month-old daughter, Alexandria Hinkley, were riding with Smith when he veered off a road and slammed into a tree in October 2009, police said. Puckett and her daughter died at the scene, and Smith was seriously injured. Police said they believed excessive speed had caused the crash. Records showed Smith had a long history of speeding and had been previously charged at least eight times with speeding in North Carolina since he was 18. Smith was sentenced to 200 days in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Oz Thomas, 22, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Travis Davis, 21. Witnesses told police in May 2009 that they saw several people involved in an argument in front of a home in west Charlotte and then heard gunfire. Davis suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to an area hospital, where he died. Thomas was sentenced to about five to seven years in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Melissa Wooten, 29, pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in connection with the death of Rosemarie Lyle, 55. Police said Lyle was trying to cross North Tryon Street near the NoDa neighborhood in July 2011 when she was struck by a car driven by Wooten. Lyle died later at Carolinas Medical Center. Police said Wooten initially left the scene of the collision but returned a short time later. Wooten was sentenced to nearly seven months in jail, but the sentence was suspended pending her successful completion of 18 months of supervised probation. She was also ordered to immediately serve 72 hours in jail and pay a $1,000 fine.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Tyler Stasko, 23, was put on trial for three counts of second-degree murder stemming from an April 2009 crash that killed three people, including two children. Stasko, of Matthews, and Carlene Atkinson, 47, of Lake Wylie, were accused of racing at speeds of up to 100 mph on N.C. 49 near Lake Wylie when Stasko's Mitsubishi Eclipse smashed into a Mercedes. Killed in the wreck were 45-year-old Cynthia Furr, her 2-year-old daughter, McAllister Price, and 13-year-old Hunter Holt, a passenger in Stasko’s car. A jury found Stasko guilty of three counts of involuntary manslaughter rather than murder. He was sentenced to at least three years and nine months in prison. Atkinson wasn't involved in the wreck, but she is also charged with three counts of second-degree murder. Her case has not yet gone to trial.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><i>--Meghan Cooke</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxT21u8yVPIOjPITKvE1emsAJHT7dTTUJ8Z8iDpdaL3IPeh5notewzgMns98I3SkjS1HNUEGxC4pYi69RKu-1ug66m6LMWW7QAywAVGCbieXVdWi9KrgoeWiQ8XSIOk-6wdEXqZugpMTg/s1600/TriciaRawana.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxT21u8yVPIOjPITKvE1emsAJHT7dTTUJ8Z8iDpdaL3IPeh5notewzgMns98I3SkjS1HNUEGxC4pYi69RKu-1ug66m6LMWW7QAywAVGCbieXVdWi9KrgoeWiQ8XSIOk-6wdEXqZugpMTg/s200/TriciaRawana.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697317254858799762" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgEJUFr-m3J-ISeZv-rsZFKTdEz5Sc94wNoOD3FWHumZPqitpPNYPCFHesZv2_3hPa25clwVWDwEx8VAtO3icHrUiJH6STlAnkvhcU-pY1DsXP5ydW3Y2tlJ7bMyqUAE0aXbT8jUm3OLh/s200/JohnAdams.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697318206105840018" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHze8l6k0cWFsz1n1eVVHgmS5U32NM6CeK0IQZ4BZ6ynWKbNZW-VAyAUjTdtqhbPfcnM34jIbkCprp8Yc1CoddlTU-FHm8IPu2GIsZGQ4MceGm_NzcVqbtZajt8EeCl3TqiJ8KVA08oWFX/s200/ShamonGoins.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316623833928994" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAfLKEkwqrZz-C94dF66kpDDmO5RrjWskfpkaHECmuO28jVUxjdis7LySygBVKrlryvLjI6ng6K_X-WnnPSAklFkDt6fuKIaIg8DxqUX2lZ8_Q4ycsuuQE2OtvejCjBcfwjLEE-9zVeEX/s1600/DantonioHamilton.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAfLKEkwqrZz-C94dF66kpDDmO5RrjWskfpkaHECmuO28jVUxjdis7LySygBVKrlryvLjI6ng6K_X-WnnPSAklFkDt6fuKIaIg8DxqUX2lZ8_Q4ycsuuQE2OtvejCjBcfwjLEE-9zVeEX/s200/DantonioHamilton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316063029836978" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbx37L16c9j441e_FrVjRofNHVJsIRnPMBL73B_ILH8lppJfMNt5kcdKMWFKbCl691o3FCkwInLRC17KFO0MSevjx-Yz2J2sTFLl6xWNz4lSqZCBi0DHFhKsD2ECOD378wjMm0v9EL8eB/s200/TravisMoore.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697318214541073602" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6deFr7gW9WifkjglXHrVHF25MkuL5FLLqACxCwfkW4BxZEvvThjTw1MRL2ak2IXjKnc7X8h902W_vGz5jNxjX6DT7MuhrlFkZNMEWyw1nQwytM5-eDwZsjz6-035iYTQ-s7ozNO4Yb6Ov/s200/JamarrSprings.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316063744896386" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxAAOD1x3IPWDfd67G2LK8iqDEeqs5pgpz-z3gAuMaGvz8fYtKjT725sVOQXswqOt76SUKg9qYC-uGqbWQFq-off4yHWHiBNz0RbLKRK4H490yvFaUvFEgMd4yzRfqLOfvb7j2a-ep3yt/s200/ThomasDavis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697317250871956258" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAWtep9auRo9Kl1kwWfywLKU3DI81gCkqVOqxkiAnLnbYnNERL41o7PIkZyY4FJrPBFZG4GTc-Vb2dFRvSbLCp0fiQnwwJYAYMKZkavvJWb8oLp8ufcTFQd4CEkA5MC181Wpj1Wg2vTnM/s200/TracyGilliam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697317249915920402" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSDxexP3sDVkMeJcBuH4yBwdTrJRdMYwOMuOnP1ZWvZKmeqMf5MHukhHTXkrqezabS558rx-CZ06-hwJvv9RU8oGCGvURKFsIlD6n0G8rhwUuk11vHz0V9Hsnsyb7yQZtjVWEya49hCs_/s200/MercedesSmith.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316612022034258" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAso42cVC-r7h2vmpl5ccgJIAHpHlitqbSsooG-Nvf8TUxFxh6ruQNIhEABV6j2Bw5UrMccAOqNCUwqh7-25PKAXxKPumEFFMwxJwWMG_SFnANYHpQ9vKAgs9sn5h3iULdI492Ku-kXoDZ/s200/SethSmith.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316621828497650" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLjU0H7UnsvXLacQFzb6yQt9ydnXoBckLJSWS-f8GmQnabHklOiigYeiwh5i3cpB1iobmb_Ct9HGPSKi8NilBia3DxzYdmhEalQAOTo95b0ImQGapFCC0EGmDqkwhmADwFcRxqI8W6sl5/s200/OzRichardThomas.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316616047568818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoBmeNHY6VkSInH-SO5IWfBZYBMryK3HoR62Mdrl0BLfhDSj-uVyEDVdVfMPgH0XHo0AZAX6HFoxRMEKRs5LT0JvbNZ_3NTWaSBeOKYzmod57RkWX4Ft_afv2wASbcSsXFuMyx_n2uxlr/s200/MelissaWooten.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697316069767720290" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcVMtOXzVWP7rjZBlp6_vaSpWJeHJEKFpca8Z2OM5fLJxRRJqcl1l5nL8grCIyTPg6gyCZBkoJ0_E4Zkt9O5GPjW58RIgwXAnPenOqwbJGj1fU-jBo3n_ADT2RDqwe8F6vpcoiAv7QiLV/s200/TylerStasko.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697317263284908018" style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px; " /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><i>From top to bottom, left to right: Tricia Rawana, John Adams, Shamon Goins, </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><i>Dantonio Hamilton, Travis Moore, Jamarr Springs, </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><i>Thomas Davis, Tracy Gilliam, Mercedes Smith, </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><i>Seth Smith, Oz Thomas, Melissa Wootsen, and </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><i>Tyler Stasko.</i></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><i><br /></i></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-89996841456766469242011-12-19T10:03:00.003-05:002011-12-19T10:15:51.602-05:00Nearly a third of Americans are arrested by age 23<div>A UNC Charlotte criminologist is getting national buzz this morning for a new study he led showing nearly a third of all Americans have been arrested by age 23. The study, out today in the journal Pediatrics, is also summarized today by the New York Times in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/us/nearly-a-third-of-americans-are-arrested-by-23-study-says.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23">this story</a>. </div><br /><div>The study, by UNCC criminal justice professor Robert Brame, shows a significantly higher arrest rate than in 1965, when a similar study was done. It leaves several key questions unanswered, however, including the impact of racial or regional differences. Still, interesting findings. </div><br /><div>Why do you think the arrest rates for young adults might be rising?</div>Eric Frazierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08712133627686604940noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-14320402615570789742011-12-14T15:47:00.005-05:002011-12-14T16:13:23.991-05:00Officer charged with assault has lengthy suspension record<div>Officer David Estele Jones III had been suspended five times since he was hired on Sept. 27, 2000. </div><div><br /></div><div>Earlier today, Charlotte-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mecklenburg</span> Police responded to a freedom of information request for the public parts of Jones' employment record.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jones is accused of slamming Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">McVicker</span> to the ground after a traffic collision involving the officer's mother. The Observer has reported previously that Jones faced a hefty six-week suspension (240 hours) for an undisclosed incident that happened on March 25, 2010. </div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/static/images/pdf/Jonespublicrecordsrequest.pdf">suspension record</a>, which is public information, shows the date and severity of each suspension, but it doesn't detail why Jones was punished, or if he had been accused of violent acts in the past. </div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to the six-week suspension, Jones was also suspended without pay for a week (40 hours) on August 5, 2004. In February, 2006, he was given a probation-like suspension for one day, which would not be activated unless he got into trouble with the department again. That suspension was activated six months later when he appears to have had another departmental infraction. </div><div><br /></div><div>During two of his suspensions, Jones was required to undergo some type of counseling. --Cleve R. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wootson</span> Jr. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-22997426870681320512011-12-12T16:12:00.004-05:002011-12-12T16:20:53.404-05:00Officer charged with assault had been suspended for 6 weeks<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">We know that Officer David Estele Jones III was given a hefty suspension in April 2010. What we don’t know is why.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jones is the officer <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/12/2844601/man-cited-as-dwi-in-wreck-with.html">accused of slamming Richard McVicker to the ground</a> after a traffic collision involving the officer’s mother. Jones first court appearance was today in court, but his lawyer, George Laughrun, showed up on his behalf. </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">McVicker, who said he had "a few beers" before the collision and was charged with driving while impaired, told me yesterday that Jones’ mother took his license when he asked if she was OK following the collision.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">McVicker says he rapped on the woman’s window, trying to get it back. Jones’ lawyer used the word “banged.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Earlier today, we reported that Jones had been suspended by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police department three times since he’d been hired a decade ago. We got the information via a public records request. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">About a year ago, the Charlotte Observer requested detailed information about suspensions from the city and the police department. A new state law had made public for the first time information about a public employee’s suspensions, demotions, and dismissals.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The list we received from the city had hundreds of suspensions on them, most for small amounts of time. But a few officers, like Jones, had multiple suspensions or suspensions of a week or more. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Gov. Bev Perdue has said the personnel law – which was passed as part of a series of ethics reforms – was designed to increase accountability in government. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But in this case, it appears to have provided more questions than answers, as readers have asked the same question – why was Jones suspended?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">We’ve asked city and police officials for more information on Jones’ suspensions. We’ll share their response when we get it. <br /></p></div>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-86212240425670154032011-11-30T08:08:00.006-05:002011-11-30T08:18:42.535-05:00Police seeing more protests in CharlotteCity leaders expect droves of protesters to descend on the Queen City when the Democratic National Convention hits Charlotte next September, but police say they've already seen an increased number of sign-bearing malcontents. <div><br /></div><div>Police Chief Rodney Monroe told the Observer the city is "seeing a demonstration every other day." He spoke to reporters at the unveiling of a new <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/11/30/2814159/new-mobile-unit-to-bring-crime.html">mobile crime scene unit</a> on Tuesday. </div><div><br /></div><div>Occupy Charlotte protesters remain camped out in front of the old city hall building, which is located across the street from police headquarters. Someone has put metal barricades around the fallen officer's memorial, apparently to keep protesters from disturbing it. </div><div><br /></div><div>On November 16, eight protesters were arrested after climbing the flag pole in front of Bank of America headquarters on Tryon Street and unfurling a sign that said "Not with our money." Monroe said that group is from California and "they brought their whole network here." </div><div><br /></div><div>A few moments after Monroe spoke, a half dozen protesters -- including a child sitting on a man's shoulders holding a cardboard sign that had been scribbled on with purple crayon -- began walking up Trade Street, toward the Square, chanting slogans. -- Cleve R. Wootson Jr. </div>Cleve R. Wootson Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08580585044220572669noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-83261238142153634192011-10-29T20:28:00.007-04:002011-10-29T21:16:24.337-04:00Murder case involving teen highlights juvenile system's process<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">It's not often that a juvenile delinquency hearing receives widespread attention, but on Monday, local eyes will be on the Mecklenburg courtroom where a 15-year-old accused of killing his father and stepmother will learn whether he'll be prosecuted as an adult.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">During a recent seminar for local court and media representatives, Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell led a discussion about the juvenile court system, which differs significantly from adult court in its procedures.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The laws that govern juvenile hearings are outlined in the N.C. General Statutes in <a href="http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/statutes/StatutesTOC.pl?Chapter=0007B">Chapter 7B</a>, which is known as the “Juvenile Code.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The seminar came a month after a 15-year-old called 911 and said he’d shot his father and stepmother, police said. When officers arrived at the teen’s southwest Mecklenburg home, they found 43-year-old Christian Hans Liewald, and his 24-year-old wife, Cassie Meghan Buckaloo, dead. The teen now faces two counts of first-degree murder.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">If someone younger than age 16 is accused of a crime, he is sent to juvenile court. But if he is accused of a felony and is at least 13 years old, he’s eligible to be tried as an adult, <a href="http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_7B/GS_7B-2200.html">according to law</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">Some differences between juvenile and adult courts are as simple as the legal terminology used. For example, juveniles are “adjudicated delinquent” when they’re found guilty of a crime rather than “convicted.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">But cases that begin in juvenile court don’t necessarily end there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><b>Prosecution as an adult or juvenile?</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The teen accused of killing his father and stepmother is scheduled to appear in juvenile court Monday for a <a href="http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_7B/GS_7B-2202.html">probable cause hearing</a>, where prosecutors will try to convince a judge that there is probable cause the teen committed the crimes and that the killings were first-degree murders. If the judge agrees, the case will automatically be transferred to Superior Court, and the teen will be prosecuted as an adult. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">But if the judge finds that the evidence presented supports lesser charges of second-degree murder or manslaughter, the judge will decide whether he should be prosecuted as a juvenile or an adult.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">If prosecuted as an adult, the teen could spend the rest of his life in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">He isn’t eligible for the death penalty. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that it’s unconstitutional to impose the death penalty on someone who committed a capital offense when he was younger than 18.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/30/2650991/da-teen-planned-to-kill.html">In a previous Mecklenburg juvenile court hearing</a>, prosecutors have said Liewald and Buckaloo were killed in an “ambush attack” in which the teen planned to kill his father so he could run away to Mexico. But the teen’s attorney has said he is a battered child who experienced physical abuse since infancy. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The teen has been in a juvenile detention facility since he was taken into custody. No bail or bond is set in juvenile cases, but detention hearings are typically held every 10 days when a juvenile is being held in custody. If the case is transferred to adult court, then a bond will be set. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><b>Open or closed hearings?</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">Another legal issue that has arisen in the case is that of openness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">At the teen’s first court appearance in September, his attorney made a motion to close the courtroom to everyone but family, arguing that making the case public could affect the teen's mental health and damage his reputation and future.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">Although the courts take precautions to protect the confidentiality of juveniles, delinquency cases are presumed open to the public.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">To close a juvenile delinquency hearing, the court must evaluate the circumstances of the case and find “good cause” for the closure, according to <a href="http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_7B/GS_7B-2402.html">state law</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The five factors examined are:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>The nature of the allegations against the juvenile. (Is the child accused of a misdemeanor or a serious offense, such as murder?)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>The juvenile’s age and maturity. (Is the juvenile a 9-year-old or a 15-year-old? Does the child have a developmental disability?)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>The benefit to the juvenile of confidentiality. (How could an open hearing affect the juvenile now or in the future?)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>The benefit to the public of an open hearing. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">5)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>The extent to which an open hearing will compromise the confidentiality of the juvenile’s file. (Are private medical or mental health records likely to be revealed?)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">State law prohibits authorities from disclosing the juvenile’s identity. But that law does not apply to the media. Although the name of teen accused of killing Liewald and Buckaloo has been widely reported, police have not publicly identified him. The Observer has not named him because the case remains in juvenile court.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">Media representatives objected to the motion to close the hearing, and Observer attorney Jon Buchan addressed the court. He pointed out that the accused teen is 15, not far from the age at which he’d be tried as an adult.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">A judge denied the motion to close the hearing, saying that the teen is facing serious charges and that his confidentiality is no longer an issue because of widespread media coverage.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The teen's attorney or prosecutors could ask for future hearings in juvenile court to be closed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">Check the <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/">Charlotte Observer</a> on Monday for updates from the hearing.</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><i>--Meghan Cooke</i></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-77119751431075390642011-09-16T16:07:00.002-04:002011-09-16T16:16:20.105-04:00Read District Attorney's statement on guilty pleaDistrict Attorney Jay Gaither spoke to the press immediately following Elisa Baker's guilty plea.<br />
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Baker, 43, was sentenced to 15 to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her stepdaughter Zahra Baker. Elisa Baker also pled guilty to obstruction of justice, bigamy, four counts of obtaining property through false pretenses, and two counts of identity fraud.<br />
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Talking to the media, Gaither recounted how his investigative team handled the case. He read a statement documenting some of his thought process and the work of his team starting from Oct. 9 when Zahra was reported missing up to the decision to enter into a plea agreement with defense attorneys. <br />
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<a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/16/2613457/district-attorneys-statement.html">Read the full statement here.</a> <br />
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<i>"On Sunday, October 24th I met with defense counsel to determine under what terms Elisa Baker was willing to give cooperation and to determine exactly what information she professed to have. When I learned that Elisa Baker could give us the location of Zahra Baker’s remains and that she could give us details of how Zahra died, my heart sank. Throughout the search I had been of the same opinion as Chief Adkins… that we were investigating a homicide. But along with the community and law enforcement, I had continued to hold out hope that Zahra was still alive." </i><br />
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-- District Attorney Jay GaitherUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-48911975169865715752011-08-18T14:23:00.005-04:002011-08-18T15:05:41.573-04:00Video: "Beyond Scared Straight" comes to Mecklenburg jailTonight, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's juvenile crime intervention program will take the national spotlight with the season premiere of "Beyond Scared Straight" on A&E.
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<br />The TV series will highlight the county's Reality Program, which gives at-risk youth a glimpse of what it's like in Mecklenburg jail.
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<br />For a sneak peak, click <a href="http://bcove.me/lr06ilzx">here</a> to watch a clip from the episode. The video shows the jail's Direct Action Response Team (DART), which is trained to remove unruly inmates from their cells.
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<br />To read more about the program and the show, click <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/17/2535520/jail-time-young-offenders-look.html#storylink=misearch">here</a>.
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<br />The episode, which was filmed at Mecklenburg jail in June, airs at 10 p.m.
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-Meghan Cooke</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVh8zBJzIksTnGP-CStYAOVSpoOMPyOFt-W5PDNGFlBXuH9U7s2W0IBCfzsotdIMoDTlGTU893Imi2aYrcwwImLoNGmSIuTbxYZSBy_6DkvxBrwpwN4L4u7BTwewruHvXsVBFyDbDvaQT/s1600/Jeiza.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVh8zBJzIksTnGP-CStYAOVSpoOMPyOFt-W5PDNGFlBXuH9U7s2W0IBCfzsotdIMoDTlGTU893Imi2aYrcwwImLoNGmSIuTbxYZSBy_6DkvxBrwpwN4L4u7BTwewruHvXsVBFyDbDvaQT/s320/Jeiza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642272456752722738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >An inmate intimidates 15-year-old Jeiza during the Reality Program at the Mecklenburg jail. At right, in the red jail uniform, is Sabrina Ann Black, a 26-year-old awaiting trial on a murder charge. Photo courtesy of Arnold Shapiro Productions.</span>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5522977664404281164.post-47131752021443486712011-07-25T18:12:00.000-04:002011-07-25T18:12:57.144-04:00Man acquitted of murder says police, DA 'ruined' his life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2011/07/12/16/28/1pjIjD.Em.138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.charlotteobserver.com/smedia/2011/07/12/16/28/1pjIjD.Em.138.JPG" /></a></div>Michael Mead, acquitted of murder in the death of his pregnant fiancee, released a statement last week thanking jurors and his attorneys. And he blamed the Gaston County Police and district attorney's office for ruining his life. <br />
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"In my opinion, they have purposely ignored facts, manipulated the media, and mishandled evidence that would have exonerated me from the beginning," he wrote. "They spent their resources trying to make a case against me rather than trying to solve the murder of Lucy and my unborn child. This type of prosecutorial 'tunnel vision' is outrageous." <br />
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Mead was accused of shooting Lucy Johnson in the back of the head and burning her Gaston County home on July 16, 2008. Mead could have faced the death penalty, but a Mecklenburg jury found him not guilty of murdering his pregnant fiancée.<br />
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In his statement, Mead states that he believes James Spelock is responsible for Johnson’s death. In open court, Mead’s attorney’s repeatedly said Spelock had the motive to kill Johnson and should have been on trial instead of Mead.<br />
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Johnson and Spelock were in the midst of a custody battle when Johnson was killed. Defense attorneys said Spelock abused Johnson in the past, and that Johnson had accused Spelock of cross-dressing. The Observer has tried to reach Spelock on several occasions and he has not returned calls.<br />
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Here is his full - unedited - statement: <br />
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I would like to personally thank the 15 jurors who rendered a just and fair verdict. Thank you for the time, dedication and hard work they put in for the past 7 weeks. The jury unanimously voted to acquit. I have never waivered in my claim that I was innocent and I have feel vindicated by verdict. The jury was comprised of a variety of people from the community. Many jurors were college educated and some have gone on to earn Masters Degrees and higher. Even the alternates would have voted not guilty and I think that speaks volumes. After the verdict was read, I was able to thank the members of the jury and I did, personally. Again I thank them all for giving an innocent man his life back. <br />
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I want to thank my lawyers Lisa Andrew Dubs and Jason White and my investigator, Captain Steve Ehlers, for believing in my case and me. Ms. Dubs did not have to take this case. I will never be able to thank them enough. There will never be enough adjectives to describe how I feel about them. They have my gratitude for life, because they have saved my life. I am truly speechless when I try and describe what they mean to me. In my opinion one of Lisa’s peers should nominate her for 2011 Lawyer of The Year. She would certainly have my vote. Without fearless attorneys the scales of justice would be on-sided. They are all three lifelong friends now, and I owe them my life and future forever. My parents also wanted to thank them all for their hard work, time, dedication, and devotion to this case for 19 months. <br />
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Not a day passes that I don’t miss Lucy. Lucy represented one of the happiest times in my life. It was amazing to be with her. She loved life. She was a wonderful mother and I was always impressed with how she interacted with her children, Lauren and Caison. Lucy was outspoken and she loved to laugh. We both loved music and we rarely watched TV; however, we did enjoy reruns of “I Love Lucy”. With all I have been through, I have never regretted the time I was lucky enough to share with Lucy. She will always be in my heart, until the day I die. I would endure all that I have been through again if I could hold her one last time. She was happy and content in our relationship. She had finally found someone who was stable, reliable, and dependable. She often compared me to her father in that way. I loved playing with Caison and Lauren. I think of them both often, and I miss them. I know Lucy is watching over them. She treated Christian, my son, as if he was her own, and he too loved her. My immediate family accepted Lucy, Caison and Lauren into our family with open arms. My family also mourns the loss of Lucy and the baby. <br />
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Michelle Dye, Lucy’s biological mother, was not a part of Lucy’s life while we were together. Lucy told me her mother hadn’t been in Lucy’s life since she was 15. Often, Lucy refused to speak about her mother and their troubled relationship. To this day I cannot understand why Michelle Dye has behaved in the way she has. She has done everything in her power to seek the spotlight and spread misinformation about the facts of this case. She has attacked me personally many times in the media and on the Internet. Even given the way she has acted, and her strained relationship with Lucy, she is still a grieving mother who has lost a daughter. I will pray that she is able to come to terms with her behavior and find some peace in her life. <br />
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The Gaston County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office have ruined my life. They have done many things in this case that are unacceptable. Not only were they negligent in how they have handled this investigation; but, in my opinion, they have purposely ignored facts, manipulated the media, and mishandled evidence that would have exonerated me from the beginning. They spent their resources trying to make a case against me rather than trying to solve the murder of Lucy and my unborn child. This type of prosecutorial “tunnel vision” is outrageous. It is the third largest reason innocent people end up in prison according to the NC Innocence Project. It is only through having endured what I have that I fully understand how horrifying that fact is. You can’t imagine what it’s like to be crucified daily for someone else’s crimes, to face the possibility of being put to death. The stress and pressure was monumentality hard on me, my son Christian and my immediate family. <br />
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At my bond hearing, Locke Bell made statements about facts and evidence I have never seen. He indicated the State had evidence that was never produced. I believe he misled the Court and Grand Jury. William Stetzer told outright lies at my bond hearing in an attempt to keep me falsely incarcerated. I am surprised Mr. Bell did not appear once at the trial. After all of his statements about me, in Court and out, I find it odd he did not prosecute me. I do not believe he felt strongly about my guilt, despite his public statements to the contrary. I believe he knew they had arrested the wrong man and did not want to be associated with this trial. Mr. Bell has legal, moral, and ethical obligations to seek out exculpatory information, that I believe he purposefully ignored. <br />
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Detective Bloom and Eddie Meeks presented a convicted child rapist, Randy Waterson, as a witness against me. I believe they did so knowing Mr. Waterson was lying and perjuring himself. Randy Waterson was convicted of raping a 6-year-old girl eight times while holding her mother at gunpoint. While I was in jail and awaiting my bond hearing, Mr. Meeks would have you believe I confessed to Mr. Waterson. After reading a newspaper article in prison two weeks after the trial had started, Mr. Waterson concocted a story with several inconsistencies yet was allowed to take the stand and testify against me. I have always maintained my innocence, yet the State contends I would confess to a man sentenced to 146 years in prison for raping a child 8 times. At the end of the day, Mr. Waterson got what he wanted; a transfer to a safer facility. This was a desperate attempt to convict an innocent man, and quite frankly, unforgivable. <br />
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The District Attorney’s Office must provide any and all exculpatory evidence they obtain. This is the type of evidence that would have reaffirmed my innocence. Rather than provide much of this type of evidence to my attorney, they tried to hide it or destroy it. They even admitted to losing important evidence; evidence that would have been in my favor. Often investigators on this case would recreate their case notes, even after several years had passed. I believe there is evidence that will prove Captain Shaw, Sergeant Reynolds and Detective Bloom were out to get me. I believe evidence was purposely ignored and even destroyed in this case. I do not mean evidence favorable for the State but evidence that would have been in my favor. In my opinion, the evidence presented by the Gaston County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office was not even enough to establish probable cause. I simply do not understand why I was arrested. Sergeant Reynolds told outright lies to the Grand Jury to get an indictment and circumvent my right to a probable cause hearing. They have Sergeant Reynolds present to the Grand Jury, but not once did he show his face at my trial. Even more absurd. <br />
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I have heard the Gaston County’s District Attorney’s Office quoted as saying this case is closed. That is unacceptable. Lucy and my child deserve justice. This case should be turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, since it’s an “interstate crime”; meaning two states. The minute I was cleared by a jury of my peers, they have to reopen the case. Detective Bloom admitted under oath that James Spelock Jr. was not ruled out as a suspect in this case. How they could try me when they had not ruled out all other suspects is unfathomable to me. Nonetheless, I believe there is ample evidence of Mr. Spelock’s guilt. I know beyond all doubt that James Spelock Jr. is responsible for Lucy’s death and the death of my unborn child. <br />
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Lucy and Mr. Spelock were engaged in a bitter custody dispute over Caison. Lucy had told me, and others, Mr. Spelock had threatened her numerous times. Lucy was going to expose Mr. Spelock’s alternative lifestyle in Court. There was a ton of evidence found indicating James Spelock ordered transsexual outfits and visited transsexual websites. His personal Sony Vaio notebook showed transsexual history all the way back to the beginning of 2006, long before he met Lucy Johnson. The evidence shows Mr. Spelock was unaccounted for at the time of the crime. There is witness testimony of Mr. Spelock’s strange behavior that early morning. James Spelock Jr. had the motive, intent, ability, and ill will necessary to commit these crimes. There is more evidence available against James Spelock Jr. than there ever has been against me, there was never one piece of evidence against me. There is enough evidence to get a Grand Jury indictment for First Degree Murder and Arson right now against James Spelock Jr. <br />
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I challenge Locke Bell to step up and do the right thing. I do a lot of work in Gaston County. Some of the finest people I’ve ever met work at the Freightliner Mount Holly Truck Plant and the Freightliner Gastonia Parts Plant. The people of Gaston County are honest, hard working, good people. Their tax dollars have been wasted. They did not need to be. I encourage Locke Bell to do the right thing. We all want justice for Lucy and our child; nobody more so than me. Until James Spelock Jr., is arrested, tried, convicted and put on Death Row in Raleigh justice in this case will never been done. I pray daily for justice to prevail. He has gotten away with murder for three years, just like he said he would. <br />
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-- Michael MeadUnknownnoreply@blogger.com24