News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on August 16, 2024.

Local news became national news this week when a man serving life imprisonment for the murder of a one-year-old child on Christmas escaped from custody. According to the AP, 30-year-old Ramone Alston was able to free himself from leg restraints and run into the woods as his van arrived at a UNC hospital in Hillsborough, NC. Mr. Alston was scheduled for a medical appointment. After the state offered a $25,000 reward for tips leading to his apprehension, and the U.S. Marshals added an additional $10,000 incentive, authorities received a torrent of phone calls. Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood stated he has known Mr. Alston since Mr. Alston’s birth. After a three-day search for Mr. Alston involving 19 law enforcement agencies, Mr. Alston was apprehended at a Comfort Inn in Kannapolis. Read on for more criminal law news. Homicide in Raleigh up 78 percent… or is it 12 percent? WRAL reports that homicide in Raleigh is up 78 percent this year as compared to last year. This figure is based on a comparison between the time period of January to June of each year. 16 homicides were reported from January to June of 2024, whereas 9 homicides were reported from January to June of 2023. However, as noted in the final sentence of the article, if the time period for each year is extended two months, the data shows an increase of just 12 percent (an increase from 17 to 19 homicides). The article demonstrates why one might hesitate to draw too [...]