Mecklenburg County Chief Magistrate resigns from office

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Chief Magistrate of the 26th Judicial District in Mecklenburg County announced his resignation on Friday, citing that he planned to join the private sector.

Khalif Rhodes had served as a magistrate in the court system since 2015 and was named the Chief Magistrate in 2017.

In recent months, the local court system has been under public scrutiny following repeat offenses involving criminals who had been released on bail from custody.

Rhodes defended his position in the press conference, however, noting that there were other factors not related to a person’s release status which have contributed to a rise in violent crime.

Defending the release of certain offenders, Rhodes explained how, ‘we have a decision-making framework (when it comes to who gets released)’ and discussed how that framework considered the risk of each offender of not returning to court before any decision was made.

In closing, Rhodes thanked the District Attorney, Sheriff McFadden and CMPD Chief Putney for their insights and discussions with him during his tenure.

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