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Tag: charlotte jail

  • Charlotte officials say there’s a will to reopen Jail North. What about money?

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    Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden talks about reopening Jail North as Children’s Alliance Advocacy Director Frank Crawford, to the left, and state Department of Public Safety Deputy Secretary William Lassiter listen.

    Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden talks about reopening Jail North as Children’s Alliance Advocacy Director Frank Crawford, to the left, and state Department of Public Safety Deputy Secretary William Lassiter listen.


    Ryan Oehrli

    The Charlotte Observer

    Sheriff Garry McFadden on Monday named his price to reopen Mecklenburg County’s shuttered juvenile jail: $17 million a year.

    That’s about $2 million more than what Jail North cost the last year it operated, McFadden said after the meeting that lasted more than an hour. But taking care of kids costs money, he said.

    “I will be disappointed if we trim anything, because all of these things, the kids need,” he said. “But we’re going to have to look at something to make this reality.”

    McFadden, county commissioners and state officials met in uptown Charlotte on Monday and tried to get on the same page. Before the sheriff closed Jail North in 2022, the facility was considered a model for other juvenile jails because of its educational and vocational programs.

    He shut it down to alleviate staffing troubles at uptown Charlotte’s adult jail. Now, minors charged with crimes and required to be kept in detention stay further away. Often, they are kept in an overcrowded jail in Cabarrus County.

    The Children’s Alliance, a collection of 40 groups who advocate for local kids, organized Monday’s meeting.

    Everyone at the meeting agreed that teenagers charged with crimes and kept in jail should be in Mecklenburg County, Children’s Alliance Advocacy Director Frank Crawford said.

    As of Monday, it also appeared that everyone wanted McFadden’s staff to run the facility.

    The stakeholders’ next meeting will be more granular, looking at areas where they might trim the sheriff’s $17 million budget proposal. No date has been set for that meeting yet.

    Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.

    Ryan Oehrli

    The Charlotte Observer

    Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.

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    Ryan Oehrli

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  • Without warrant from Maryland, murder suspect released from Charlotte jail

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    The Mecklenburg County Detention Center.

    The Mecklenburg County Detention Center.


    Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez

    mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com

    The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office was forced to release a Maryland man charged with killing someone, the agency said on Friday.

    Jail logs say that Charles Anthony Boatwright, charged with murder by Baltimore police, was held in the Mecklenburg County jail for almost three months. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police booked him there on a fugitive warrant on July 16. Prosecutors said they continued his case twice.

    The sheriff’s office released him on Oct. 8 after waiting for months for Baltimore police to send a governor’s warrant, which allows someone to be extradited back to the state they face charges in, according to a statement.

    “MCSO can lawfully hold a fugitive for 90 days before a Governor’s Warrant is issued,” the sheriff’s office said. “We can hold that individual for up to 30 additional days after the Governor’s Warrant has been received. Despite repeated efforts to confirm receipt of the required documentation, no Governor’s Warrant was received from Maryland within the legal period.”

    An Oct. 9, 2025, post by the Baltimore Police Department about a murder suspect released from the Mecklenburg County jail.
    An Oct. 9, 2025, post by the Baltimore Police Department about a murder suspect released from the Mecklenburg County jail. Facebook screenshot Baltimore Police Department

    Without the warrant, the district attorney’s office was forced to dismiss charges, said DA spokesperson Mike Stolp. Boatwright would have been held in jail illegally had it continued any longer.

    Baltimore police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

    The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, usually a critic of the leadership at the sheriff’s office, defended that agency and the district attorney’s office in a statement Friday.

    “We recognize that there has been significant public frustration directed toward the DA’s Office and the MCSO,” the statement said. “However, responsibility for this situation does not rest with either agency. The breakdown appears to have occurred in Maryland, where authorities did not complete their part of the extradition process.”

    Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.

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    Ryan Oehrli

    The Charlotte Observer

    Ryan Oehrli writes about public safety and criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. He previously worked at the Asheville Citizen Times. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Little Washington.

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    Ryan Oehrli

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