Julia Coin

Prosecutors want to drop last charge against Charlotte man who photographed ICE Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez faced more than 20 years in prison on charges of assaulting ICE and Border Patrol agents in Charlotte.

A Trump-appointed federal prosecutor wants to drop the last charge against a Charlotte man who photographed ICE | By @juliacoin.bsky.social

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

CMPD said officers followed policy before light rail stabbing. They didn’t. Charlotte police were supposed to get DeCarlos Brown Jr. mental health help eight months before Iryna Zarutska’s death, CMPD policies say.

CMPD said officers followed policy before light rail stabbing. They didn’t. | By @juliacoin.bsky.social (Gift link)

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Video to show police with Charlotte light rail suspect months before stabbing The Charlotte Observer petitioned for video of CMPD’s last interaction with DeCarlos Brown Jr. before the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska.

Charlotte police will today release videos of officers responding to DeCarlos Brown Jr. after he called 911 saying "man-made" material was controlling him months before the light rail stabbing.

A judge ordered release after the Observer filed a petition. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

DHS quietly corrects inaccurate information after Charlotte Observer report As Border Patrol arrived in Charlotte, DHS falsely said a Honduran man charged with murder was released under NC’s “sanctuary policies.”

@juliacoin.bsky.social keepin em honest

So proud of the work my newsroom has done on the Border Patrol in Charlotte. @charlotteobserver.com
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

DHS wrongly said NC officials released immigrant charged in Charlotte murder The U.S. Department of Homeland Security falsely claimed Charlotte officials released a Honduran immigrant charged with murder.

DHS incorrectly said a Honduran man was charged with murder and released “back on to North Carolina’s streets” under “sanctuary policies” in Charlotte.

That man has not left Mecklenburg jail since he was booked in June 2024.
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

CMPD said it ‘immediately’ rendered aid after shooting. Video shows otherwise Official statements on fatal shooting don’t line up with reality. Part Two of a three-part Observer series.

Charlotte police said officers ‘immediately’ rendered aid after shooting. Video shows otherwise (Gift Article) | Part Two of an investigative series by @juliacoin.bsky.social

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

CMPD ignored pleas, shot mentally ill man, then waited for drone, videos show Police said they gave first aid immediately, but videos show otherwise. A three-part Observer series.

CMPD ignored pleas, shot mentally ill man, then waited for drone, videos show | Observer investigation by @juliacoin.bsky.social

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Chemical gas used in private Georgia jail. Judge reduces NC victim’s sentence Inmates drained toilets to breathe through the plumbing. It’s not the only jail with unconstitutional conditions, federal defenders say.

Private prison guards deployed a chemical gas into cells unprovoked, court records say. People drained toilets to breathe air through the plumbing as smoke lingered.

A Charlotte federal judge handed down a reduced sentence to a man exposed to the fumes.
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Ex-Wake Forest trainer sues congressman over claims she was fired for Kirk posts NC Congressman Pat Harrigan said the athletic trainer was fired after posting about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. She says that’s not true.

Ex-Wake Forest University trainer sues congressman over claims she was fired for Charlie Kirk posts. Lawsuit says the trainer & university 'mutually agreed' to part ways & was not fired as Rep. Pat Harrigan claimed. (Via @juliacoin.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/sports/artic... #nced #ncpol

Charlotte light rail stabbing suspect assigned new death penalty lawyer The federal defense attorney representing DeCarlos Brown Jr. has worked several high-profile death penalty cases and appeals.

The federal defense attorney representing DeCarlos Brown Jr. has worked several high-profile death penalty cases and appeals.

CMPD chief violated 1st Amendment in suspending critical officer, lawsuit alleges A CMPD officer of 20 years was suspended after talking to reporters and criticizing Chief Johnny Jennings and his spokesperson.

A CMPD officer of 20 years was suspended after talking to reporters and criticizing Chief Johnny Jennings and his spokesperson.

Did judge who released suspect before Charlotte light rail stabbing break rules? The charge DeCarlos Brown Jr. faced in January might have been supported by little evidence, one expert said.

Trump and NC lawmakers have in part blamed Charlotte's light rail stabbing on a magistrate who released DeCarlos Brown Jr. from jail in January. Her decision adhered to state law and policies developed by some of her current critics. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

An off-duty officer was shot in the leg while responding to a domestic dispute in uptown Charlotte. One day later, information from CMPD remains scarce.

Responding police took the officer, who is now in stable condition, to the hospital in a squad car. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Charlotte cop who shot at moving car in airport lot could face federal trial A CMPD internal affairs investigation led to the officer being disciplined.

A Charlotte police officer who shot at a fleeing car while responding to an airport trespassing call does not have immunity and probably used an unconstitutional level of deadly force, appellate judges ruled Tuesday. @charlotteobserver.com

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

DNA testing problems inside CMPD crime lab cause court delays, retests Authorities have not said how many cases have been affected.

Court officials are delaying cases and retesting evidence following reports that a DNA analyst intentionally manipulated tests inside Charlotte’s police crime lab, the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office said. #clt #dna

More from @juliacoin.bsky.social : www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Charlotte City Councilwoman Tiawana Brown, the first formerly incarcerated person elected to the council, has been indicted on federal charges for lying on loan applications for COVID pandemic relief funds.

✍️ @juliacoin.bsky.social
🔗 www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

What grounds did Charlotte chief have to sue? Not much, one expert said. Legal questions arise over Charlotte City Council’s cloaked, closed-session settlement with CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings.

What grounds did Charlotte chief have to sue? Not much, one expert said. | @juliacoin.bsky.social

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/article...

N&O, Charlotte Observer named Pulitzer Prize finalists for Helene coverage The Associated Press and The Washington Post were also finalists in the category.

🧵 The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer were honored as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for their joint coverage of Hurricane Helene and the aftermath in NC. The Associated Press and The Washington Post were also finalists.

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

JUST IN: #Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested someone at the county courthouse Wednesday. #clt #ice

What we know from @oehrli.bsky.social: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Top FBI agent in Charlotte retires as others who investigated Trump step down Robert DeWitt led the FBI’s Miami office when federal agents raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Then he moved to Charlotte.

BREAKING: Robert DeWitt, head of #Charlotte FBI who previously led the FBI’s Miami office when federal agents raided then former-President Donald #Trump’s estate in 2022, is retiring at the end of May. #ncpol

From @juliacoin.bsky.social & Virginia Bridges: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

A CMPD analyst manipulated DNA testing, but was it criminal? DA will decide The Charlotte analyst allegedly intentionally manipulated the crime lab’s DNA testing process.

A DNA analyst manipulated Charlotte crime lab tests, according to documents obtained by @charlotteobserver.com. Mecklenburg DA Spencer Merriweather now must decide: will the analyst, who potentially reported unreliable DNA results, face criminal charges? www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

In the days after Asha Degree vanished from Shelby — and in recent interviews with The Charlotte Observer — investigators said they were haunted by one persistent thought:

What if that was my daughter?

A special report from @juliacoin.bsky.social: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

‘Wounds never closed’: NC town reflects on 25 years of unsolved Asha Degree disappearance The Cleveland County Sheriff promised closure in the decades-old case.

It's been 25 years since 9-year-old Asha Degree vanished in Shelby, NC.

Asha’s story has reverberated through her Cleveland County community, the surrounding Charlotte metropolitan area & beyond for more than 2 decades.

More from @juliacoin.bsky.social: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

Union County protesters demand schools define protections for undocumented NC students Union County parents say they want “clear protocols” from UCPS.

Union County protesters demand schools define protections for undocumented NC students #ncpol #nced

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/e...

LaMelo Ball wants family alleging he broke child’s foot to pay his attorneys’ fees LaMelo Ball, the Charlotte Hornets’ highest paid player, asked a judge to dismiss him from the lawsuit.

Charlotte Hornets star player LaMelo Ball, who is also the highest-paid athlete in Charlotte, wants the family alleging he ran over and broke a child's foot to pay his attorneys' fees, according to recently filed court documents. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Mecklenburg sheriff agrees to pay $550,000 to family of teen who committed suicide in jail The sheriff’s office also agreed to change its jail supervision policies as part of the settlement, according to an attorney.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office will pay $550,000 to the family of a teenager who committed suicide in the county jail in 2020, according to the family's lawyer. That lawyer says the sheriff's office will do more to protect people in the jail, too.

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

‘A void that can never be filled.’ Charlotte mother dies in American Airlines DC crash Wendy Shaffer “was the heart of her family” with a “warm, loving home filled with laughter and care,” her friends said.

Wendy Shaffer, a Charlotte mom of 2 boys, died aboard the American Airlines plane that crashed Wednesday into a military helicopter in Washington D.C., friends shared on social media Thursday.

From @juliacoin.bsky.social: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

‘Put your big girl pants on,’ NC sheriff told deputy who made sexual misconduct complaint A female deputy asked Rowan Sheriff Travis Allen to explain why a deputy who reportedly was fired was still wearing a uniform.

"Put your big girl pants on."

That's what a small-town NC sheriff told a 22-year-old female deputy after she questioned how he disciplined a 62-year-old who had reportedly unleashed a wave of sexual comments on to her.

More on Rowan County's sheriff: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Amazing as always. Thanks, Mike!

12/8/24 Charlotte Observer front page I designed. Story by @juliacoin.bsky.social. Photo by Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez.