Quick Hit: Charlotte's catch & release crisis
Social media humming with posts of offender releases with criminal records
Is there a violent offender catch and release crisis in Charlotte? The answer right now seems to be yes, but recent examples are not helping officials make that answer a “no.”
In a post issued today, WSOCTV reporter Eli Brand wrote, “CMPD is speaking out on the issue of repeat offenders in Mecklenburg County.”
“Earlier today they said 60% of the people who committed violent crimes this year had prior charges,” wrote Brand. “They even said a conversation may need to be had about the decisions of judges and magistrates.”
Brand’s post includes his video report and can be viewed on X.
Since the murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system in August and the release of the surveillance video of her attack, social media has continued to churn out posts about the release of offenders with long records by Charlotte and Mecklenburg County judicial officials.
Zarutska’s alleged attacker, Decarlos Brown, had an extensive criminal history with no less than 14 prior arrests.
Some recent examples circulated on social media include 22-year-old Timothy Lorico Massey.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (CMSO) has three arrest records for Massey, the most recent being an arrest on Oct. 14 for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, and carrying of a concealed weapon. Jail records show Massey is still in custody.
According to court records, the charges were split into two cases between the assault with a deadly weapon and the remaining charges. Both cases are still pending.
Massey was on the streets again after being arrested on Sept. 24 on charges of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and resisting an officer. Massey was released on Sept. 25 and court records show that case is still pending.
Massey was also arrested in September 2024 on two counts of second degree trespass, breaking and entering, and fleeing from police.
Court documents show Massey was sentenced to one day in jail on the trespass charge and was credited that one day with time already served. He was also banned from the Kilborne Mart Convenience store. The breaking and entering charge was dismissed without leave by the district attorney.
Another offender, Paulette Gibson, was arrested on Mar. 28, 2023, on a charge of assault by strangulation, according to MCSO records.
She was arrested a second time in April 2024 for breaking into a car and for injury to personal property. She was released the same day as her arrest.
On Oct. 12, Gibson was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon with a minor present, felony conspiracy, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to WSOCTV, the charges involved a domestic dispute and stabbing.
Officers say the altercation left one victim with serious injuries, including a stab wound that punctured her lung.
Police said the victims provided video evidence showing the assault as it happened.
According to an incident report, Paulette Gibson was seen in the video swinging a knife multiple times at one of the victims, aiming for her head and upper body.
The report also states that a golf club was used during the fight, and that Paulette Gibson’s 10-year-old daughter participated in the assault without her mother intervening.
Gibson was released a little over 20 hours after her arrest.
Last week, MTTS reported on two similar offenders, including Charles Anthony Boatwright, who is wanted for murder in Maryland and who was released by authorities in Charlotte due to lack of extradition paperwork. Or at least that is what Boatwright’s court records showed.
As of this past Saturday evening, Boatwright was back in custody and Maryland officials said the governor’s warrant was sent to North Carolina officials the day before Boatwright was released.