The AOC recently announced in a press release that Lydia Hoza has been appointed as the first chief public defender in Judicial District 27B, which includes Cleveland and Lincoln counties. The establishment of the new office was part of the state budget passed late last year. Hoza, who previously served as an assistant district attorney in Lincoln County, will be responsible for hiring thirteen attorneys and seven support staff who will work out of offices in both counties.
All Things Judicial Podcast. I have to admit to being late to the game in finding out about the All Things Judicial podcast from the North Carolina Judicial Branch, which has been airing since the beginning of last year. The podcast is up to 27 episodes that cover a wide variety of topics pertinent to the North Carolina Court System. You can find the episodes here or on your favorite podcast app.
Jail Population Management. A WECT report says that New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon credits the work of a jail population management program in New Hanover County with saving taxpayers millions of dollars. McMahon told WECT that ongoing efforts to prevent defendants charged with nonviolent offenses from being detained pretrial has resulted in an average of 50 fewer people being held in the jail each month. The Sheriff’s Office has employed a jail population manager since 2017.
Hostage Situation. The Charlotte Observer reports that last Friday night Caldwell County sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a man on who was holding two women hostage with a gun and a knife after killing his brother-in-law. A press release from the sheriff’s office said that Troy Lee Carter was shot after failing to obey verbal commands from the deputies. A search of the house where the incident occurred revealed that Carter apparently had killed his brother-in-law Timothy Lewis Davis earlier in the evening.
Accidental Shooting. WITN reports that a special prosecutor has determined that no criminal charges will be filed in a tragic case from late last month where a detective with the Jacksonville Police Department accidentally shot and killed his son. Detective John Clukey was playing with Airsoft guns in the front yard of his home with his son Alexander when he mistakenly used his service weapon thinking it was an Airsoft gun. Wilmington District Attorney Ben David, who was assigned to the case after Onslow County District Attorney Ernie Lee recused himself, said that all available evidence indicated that the shooting was accidental.
Mecklenburg Jail. Earlier this month the News Roundup noted that a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services inspection of the Mecklenburg County Detention Center found that short staffing was creating safety concerns. Sheriff Garry McFadden recently wrote a piece in the Charlotte Observer acknowledging recent staffing issues under the stress of the pandemic and saying that he was working with other stakeholders to reduce the jail population.
SOG Job. Readers may be interested to know that the School of Government’s Judicial College is hiring an Associate Director of Curriculum and Administration. Among other things, the person in this position assists the Director of the Judicial College in expanding and systematizing the Judicial College’s curriculum. More information is available here.
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