Possession of cell phones by local jail or state prison inmates also becomes a Class H felony

Raleigh, N.C. Sept. 18 – Giving a prisoner a cell phone is now a felony under legislation signed into law today by Governor Pat McCrory. Previously, the offense was a misdemeanor. The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys praised the increased penalty in the wake of a kidnapping case which was directed by an incarcerated prisoner through communications sent by a cell phone.

Among those attending today’s bill signing was Wake County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Janssen, whose father was kidnapped earlier this year.

“We must do everything we can to protect those in the criminal justice system who protect us,” Governor McCrory said. “The state’s District Attorneys provided valuable guidance and support for this legislation, and North Carolina will be safer because of their efforts and those in the General Assembly who crafted and passed this bill.”

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ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — André Duckett, 43, had an unpleasant surprise when he came in to see his probation officer. After missing some previous appointments, he had just failed a drug test, the officer told him, and he was going to spend the next three days in jail.

He was dismayed that day in March, Mr. Duckett said. But in the end he was grateful that his violations had provoked only this sharp jolt.

A few years back, they might well have led to formal revocation of his probation, stemming from an assault conviction, and sent him to prison for months. Instead, after experiencing what officials call a “quick dip,” Mr. Duckett was able to keep his job as an electrician and, so far at least, to avoid more violations.

“It was a wake-up call that this is serious business,” Mr. Duckett said in an interview here in rural Halifax County, near the border with Virginia.

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Five local sheriffs took the ALS ice bucket challenge aboard the U.S.S. North Carolina on Wednesday.

New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon, Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram, Pender County Sheriff Carson Smith, Columbus County Sheriff Lewis Hatcher and Bladen County Sheriff Prentis Benston took the challenge before challenging the state’s other 95 sheriff’s to do the same.

According to New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Sgt. Jerry Brewer, the sheriff’s office received multiple challenges from the community and thought it would be best to them all at once with the sheriffs of surrounding counties.

Hometown Wilmington Media’s Linda Wylde and Jim Whitmeyer, morning hosts on 93.7 and 106.3 FM The Dude, challenged McMahon last month. District Attorney Jon David challenged Ingram, spokeswoman Emily Flax said.

“We as your sheriffs,  are glad to do this,” McMahon said. “We are glad to get cold and wet…to raise awareness for ALS.”

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Moore County will serve as a conduit for a $1 million federal grant that the state will use to develop a Web-based program to help police, fire and rescue personnel better respond to emergencies at public schools.

The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to adopt an agreement with N.C. Emergency Management to develop the Safer School Risk Management Project, which will be statewide.

School systems in each of the state’s 100 counties will be asked to provide schematic diagrams of the buildings on all of its campuses, which will be loaded onto a secure, Web-based, GIS-enabled program that will be developed using grant funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to Mike Spraybery, director of N.C. Emergency Management.

The data will be continually updated as existing school buildings are expanded and new ones are constructed, he said.

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Project Re-entry has been so successful that officials decided to try it at the Cabarrus County Detention Center.

The jail program, which began in 2012, is the first of its kind in North Carolina. It was made possible through a grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission.

The two-year pilot program has been tailored to fit the needs of inmates serving sentences for misdemeanor convictions. Instead of 16 weeks, the inmates are offered classes for 11 weeks to help them find jobs and to support them upon their release.

Rebecca Sauter, coordinator for Project Re-entry, acknowledges that the jail program has faced bumps along the way.

Prisoners are more humble than jail inmates, most of whom spend much less time locked up, Sauter said.

But Cabarrus County Sheriff Brad Riley says the new program has been successful.

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MORGANTON, N.C. – A North Carolina officer and his K9 partner shot and killed in the line of duty were honored Friday morning in Morganton.

WSOC-TV reported that U.S. Forest Service Officer Jason Crisp was ambushed five months ago during a manhunt for a double murder suspect.

In front of the courthouse is a memorial to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in Burke County. On Friday, Officer Crisp and his K9 partner Maros were added to the memorial.

Much of Crisp’s family was in attendance as the memorial was unveiled Friday morning, including his widow and 7-year-old son.

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WENTWORTH – Inmates are about to clean up Rockingham County.

On Monday, Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law House Bill 1133, which allows the use of landfill funds to pay for a prisoner work program to clean up litter.

Craig Travis, the vice chairman of the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners, said for two years he wanted this program but the county couldn’t find funding.

“It just so happened one night I was laying there and I was thinking if they are picking up litter and litter is concerning trash then why can’t we use the landfill fund for it?” Travis said.

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RAEFORD, N.C. (WTVD) —  The Hoke County Sheriff’s department is equipping deputies, including school resource officers, with body cameras.

“We’re not hiding behind anything,” said Sheriff Hubert Peterkin during a Wednesday press conference. “This shows that we’re not hiding. This shows that we’re willing to go up front and do what we need to do.”

The $200,000 investment is funded through county drug busts, and includes 30 new car cameras. Fifteen body cams will be rotated between SROs at the middle schools and Hoke High School, as well as special operations teams and deputies who serve warrants.

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HICKORY, N.C. – Since protests began after an 18-year-old in Ferguson, Mo., was shot and killed by a police officer Aug. 9, videos and photographs circulating make the city of about 21,000 in St. Louis County look like a war zone.

Armored vehicles roam the streets, tear gas is being used on protesters and SWAT officers are walking around the streets carrying M4 assault rifles.

Scenes of military-type weaponry being paraded around are rare in the United States, but local law enforcement agencies possessing high-powered firearms isn’t.

In addition to purchasing armored vehicles, assault rifles and other equipment used in combat, local law enforcement agencies have the option of applying for excess Department of Defense property through the Law Enforcement Support Office, through the 1033 program created in 1997, according to the Defense Logistics Agency’s Disposition Services website.

Three local police departments and the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office talked to HDR about equipment in their possession that might resemble military-type gear. Equipment these Catawba County-based agencies possess isn’t abnormal for local police departments or sheriff’s offices.

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WENTWORTH, N.C. – Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page plans to skydive to raise money for the Special Olympics of North Carolina.

Several local businesses have agreed to make donations totaling $2,500 to the organization in order to sponsor Page’s jump, according to deputies.

Deputies said the Sheriff, in return, will display patches of the businesses corporate logos on the jumpsuit he will be wearing during his jump.
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