Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (Dec. 17, 2025)

This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on December 17, 2025. Evidence was sufficient to establish essential elements of felony possession of stolen goods and attempted misdemeanor larceny. State v. Brown, COA24-949 (N.C. Ct. App. Dec. 17, 2025) (Caldwell County) (Collins). At trial, the defendant was convicted of felony possession of stolen goods and attempted misdemeanor larceny, but acquitted of felony breaking or entering. The charges arose from an incident in which the victims had multiple items stolen from a house primarily used for storage. After hearing a vehicle go over a wooden bridge to their property, one of the victims saw a tan pickup truck driving away as a person jumped onto the back and adjusted a tarp covering. The victim went to the storage house and saw that safes had been broken, lampshades and household items were strewn outside, and rugs, tools, and a Hitachi air compressor were missing. The victim anticipated that those responsible would return to the property, so he placed a motion detector on the bridge. The detector activated later that night and the victim saw a vehicle on his property moving without headlights. He called the police, who stopped a Mazda sedan before it left the property. The driver of the car, Ms. Plonk, was a woman who had been living with the victim’s neighbors; the defendant was in the passenger seat. Officers subsequently investigated and determined that the tan truck belonged to the victim’s neighbors, and [...]