Wilmjax News

(08/30/07 — DURHAM) - The former prosecutor who led the now-discredited Duke lacrosse rape case never intentionally tried to mislead the court and believed he gave all DNA test results to defense attorneys, a lawyer for Mike Nifong said Thursday during his criminal contempt trial.

Nifong turned over all the information during the pretrial discovery phase in his case against three Duke lacrosse players, said his attorney, Jim Glover. And when he told a judge the defense had all the DNA test results, it was a mistake — but little more than an oversight.

“The question is not whether those statements Mr. Nifong made are literally true or literally false,” Glover told Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III. “The question is were they willfully and intentionally false and were they also part of an effort … to hide potentially exculpatory evidence, and that’s the issue before the court.”

Defense attorneys for the three falsely accused players had asked Smith to punish Nifong for initially telling the court he turned over all testing results when he knew, and failed to disclose, that genetic material from multiple males was found on and about the accusing woman — but none of the DNA matched any lacrosse player.

If held in contempt, Nifong faces up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. Nifong pleaded not guilty to the charge at the start of Thursday’s hearing.

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(08/30/07 — RALEIGH) - Raleigh police are investigating a babysitter who they say has confessed to throwing a child to the ground.

The new allegations come during a week when three small children have already been killed allegedly by their adult caregivers.

Sharon Bryant, 23, walked into the jailhouse courtroom charged with felony child abuse. It’s the only charge on Bryant’s spotless record, but it’s one that could get worse.

Wake County Judge Shelley DesVouges explains, “The charges may be upgraded due to the condition of the child.”

Raleigh Police Captain Chris Bertram says the 11-month-old child suffered a fractured skull. He says Bryant admits she caused the life-threatening injuries. “During interviews with the detectives basically confessed that she had thrown the child to the ground,” Capt. Bertram said.

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(08/31/07 — DOVER, DE) - U.S. Marshals arrested two North Carolina murder suspects in Dover yesterday morning after they were seen at a house on New Jersey Drive the previous night.

Marshals say 24-year-old Montrell Wilson and 24-year-old Doron Alston of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, are charged with murdering 29-year-old Benjamin Lane and shooting four others.

The two were allegedly inside Club Rock City in Rocky Mount when they opened fire Aug. 26.

North Carolina police reported the two had fled the state and may have been in Dover. That’s when deputy U.S. Marshals began conducting surveillance Wednesday night.

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HICKORY, N.C. — Big city gang problems are getting worse in Hickory. Now police are looking at how Charlotte officers are handling gangs in order to put a stop to the trouble.

Authorities said there are 50 known gang members in Hickory and at least 15 gangs. Officers believe they are the source of graffiti and violence in the city.

They said recently gang members even flashed signs at players at a high school football gang.

Police said they need to steer young people away from joining gangs.

“If we bury our heads in the sand, basically we’re looking at eventually having an overwhelming problem,” said Sgt. Jeff Young.

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The criminal contempt case against former Duke lacrosse prosecutor Mike Nifong is scheduled to begin Thursday in Durham.

The hearing will be broadcast live on WRAL.com and the WRAL NewsChannel (digital cable channel 256 or over the air at 5.2) beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith found probable cause in June to believe Nifong willfully and intentionally made false statements during two hearings last year in the case against three former Duke University lacrosse players who were accused of raping, sexually assaulting and beating a woman at a party in March 2006.

Smith’s order stems from a 42-page motion that defense attorneys in the case filed in June alleging Nifong broke at least a dozen rules in court on Sept. 22 and Dec. 15 regarding potentially exculpatory evidence indicating DNA profile matches on evidence from the accuse from four males who were not lacrosse players.

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BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A Brunswick County junior firefighter has been arrested for setting fires to help extinguish the fires.

Lee Jolly, 17-year-old Boiling Spring Lakes resident was arrested Tuesday and charged with second degree arson.

Police say Jolly set two unoccupied homes on fire in Boiling Spring Lakes.

The first fire was set in the beginning of August on High Point Road; the second fire was set on Sunday night on Wilmington Road.

Police say that witnesses saw a young man leaving the scene of the first fire on a bike.

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COLUMBUS COUNTY — The prosecution continued presenting it’s case in the Chase Powell murder case, and once again emotions were high in the courtroom.

A DNA expert took the stand on Wednesday afternoon telling the jury about blood samples found in Chase Powell’s car. Blood found on the driver door panel and window as well as the top of the car are a match to Powell.

There was no DNA evidence found in the car that matched accused murderer Ramel Troy.

In an unexpected move Troy was given a warning about his behavior from the judge. The Powell family says Troy has been smirking at them as well as making obscene gestures. The bailiffs have also complained about Troy’s behavior.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The immigration status of all inmates entering the state prison system should be checked during initial screenings, according to a congresswoman and sheriff.

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph said Tuesday that a similar program at the Mecklenburg County jail has identified about 2,600 illegal immigrants since May 2006.

Myrick and Pendergraph said state prisons should check inmates’ citizenship as part of their initial screening, which also includes taking their fingerprints and photograph.

Inmates found to be here illegally would be turned over to federal authorities and deported after serving their sentences, they said.

The recommendations were sent in a letter to Gov. Mike Easley, urging him to arrange with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to begin the inmate screening.

An Easley spokesman said late Tuesday he’s unsure if the governor had received the letter yet.

Myrick didn’t know how much the program would cost but said the money would come from the federal government.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The Greensboro Police Department is forming a 20-member gang unit to respond to a surge in gang activity.

Police say four homicides over the summer are linked to gang activity.

The city has had one full-time gang officer, but residents and politicians say more needs to be done.

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WHITEVILLE — The FBI has taken the lead in trying to determine the source of letters threatening black students who attend Cerro Gordo and Evergreen elementary schools because of the closing of Fair Bluff Elementary, Columbus County Sheriff Chris Batten said today.

“We don’t know who’s responsible at this point, and we’re not assuming anything,” Batten said.

The letters, which contained threats and racial slurs, were found in yards and in driveways in Evergreen and Fair Bluff over the weekend.

Dan Strickland, the superintendent of Columbus County schools, said there haven’t been any problems at the schools this week.

“When I saw it, I just couldn’t believe it,” Strickland said of the letter, which claims to originate from the Ku Klux Klan and contains racial epithets.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Late Tuesday afternoon, police finally had 24-year-old Demario Ballard in cuffs after nearly a full day of trying to arrest him.

It was a relief for Chris Henderson, who lives in the same apartment complex as Ballard on Dawnshire Avenue off Beatties Ford Road in northwest Charlotte.

“The police officer was knocking on my door and there were five or six officers out there. The (Special Weapons and Tactics) team was at my back door. They told me I had to evacuate because they were having trouble over there,” he said.

Authorities said neighbors called police after they heard gunshots. Police got there and found Ballard’s girlfriend unhurt, but they believed he was still inside the apartment with a gun.

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WILMINGTON — A new study has been released confirming that where you live in Wilmington affects your chances of being a victim of violent crime.

A study was released on Tuesday during a regular trauma conference held at the Coastal Area Health and Education Center at the hospital.

The study shows that the victims of stabbings and shootings in Wilmington are mostly young, male, African-American and poor.

The study went on to reveal three distinct areas in the city where more than fifty percent of these victims live. The study examined the trauma cases at the hospital from 1995 to 2005 and where those victims lived.

They were clustered in three spots, the first is north and south of Market Street west of 17th Street, north of Market Street near 30th street and Princess Place Drive and near Carolina Beach Road and Shipyard Boulevard.

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(08/28/07 — RALEIGH) - Raleigh police arrested and charged 18-year-old Eric Brandon Carter, Jr. with the murder of his 10-and-a-half-month-old daughter.

Police said they responded to a deceased person call Monday at the suspect’s residence on Colleton Rd. in Raleigh.

After an investigation, a warrant was issued for Carter’s arrest.

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(08/28/07 - SMITHFIELD) — A federal prosecutor says current and former employees at the huge Smithfield Foods slaughterhouse in Bladen County face identity theft charges as well as immigration violations after raids last week.

U.S. Attorney George Holding says 25 people arrested in raids in four counties face identity theft charges. Another three or four people face only immigration violations.

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Rayshad Jareem Carter admitted in court Monday that he gunned down Korean immigrant Son Hwe Hah, a well-liked shopkeeper who ran a convenience store on Bingham Drive.

By admitting that he murdered Hah, Carter ensured that he can get out prison before he turns 50. If he had stood trial, he might have been sentenced to life in prison.

Carter could not face the death penalty because he was too young when he shot Hah — state law forbids execution unless the killer is at least 18.

But Carter was just 16, too young to qualify for capital punishment, when he and three others went to Hah’s store, The Pit Stop, the night of Nov. 21, 2005, to rob the place.

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