Are suspected criminals in Charlotte getting out of jail too easily?
WBTV Investigates: Alex Giles uncovers the impact it has on safety in Charlotte
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - WBTV covers crime daily, with a number of stories over the past several years that involve people arrested time and again, accused of committing repeated violent crimes.
It happens when someone is arrested--including for a violent crime like a sexual assault or armed robbery--and a judge gives them a low bond, meaning they can easily get out of jail.
That’s what happened in November 2022, when Judge Tracy Hewett reduced the bond of a man arrested for attacking and sexually assaulting a woman from $2 million to $50,000.
» Watch this entire WBTV investigation Thursday night at 6:00 on television and the WBTV streaming app for Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.
Hewett’s decision to reduce the bond in that case was criticized by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings who, along with Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather, has called for changes to the way bond is handled in Charlotte. Law enforcement has criticized the low bonds handed out by local judges and magistrates at least since 2019.
But it’s an issue that impacts more than just the police chief and DA.
In an exclusive story you’ll only see on WBTV, officers at the street level with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tell WBTV’s Alex Giles they notice this happening frequently and it has them concerned about your safety and the work they do.
He’s also sitting down with Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth Trosch, who oversees magistrate judges, the front line of judicial officials setting bonds for people arrested in all crimes.
WBTV is On Your Side, asking what can be done about these alleged violent offenders committing crimes over and over again before being tried in a court of law.
DIGITAL EXTRA:
Watch this entire WBTV investigation Thursday night at 6:00 on television and the WBTV streaming app for Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.
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