Greensboro Officer Michael Horan EOW

Greensboro Officer Michael Horan responded to a call for service regarding a man with a weapon in a Food Lion grocery store. Upon arrival Officer Horan tried to “de-escalate” the situation inside the store and that cost Officer Horan his life.

@NCSHP

chased the suspect forcing his vehicle off the road using a pit maneuver.

Usual suspect and no one is surprised. No mercy!

Daniel Sansone Charged with Murder

 

Daniel Edward Sansone Photo Courtesy MCSO

CMPD detectives have charged Daniel Sansone age 29 with the murder of Daniel Edward Sansone, Jr. (Their relation if any seems to be uncertain at this time.)

The man (Sansone, Jr.) was taken to the hospital on Sunday with severe injuries, bruises and bleeding from the head and Sansone was arrested and placed in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff.

The man died from his injuries Monday and Sansone's charges were elevated to Murder.

Cedar's Take:

Daniel Sansone has more than 30 prior charges and many of them for violent crimes. Yet the Mecklenburg County District Attorney has managed to dismiss everyone of them. 

His arrest earlier this year along with his violent history and failure to appear should have prevented bail from being granted, but the courts released him once again. 

Cedar's Opinion - Incarceration saves lives!

Where are they now?

The Slow Death of Park Road Shopping Center

If you are Charlotte native, you've come to accept change.

Park Road Shopping Center opened up on November 15, 1956 and was Charlotte's very first open area-type shopping mall. 

Over the years tenants have changed, the movie theaters downsized. But the main anchor tenants Harris Teeter, Walgreen's, Blackhawk Hardware and Michaels have managed to hold on.

Sir Edmond Halley's is still in the back lot and some of the newer restaurants are really pretty good.

And of course there's the crime. Reports of a senior being robbed at gunpoint seemed to be an outlier and the somewhat expected usual number of theft from autos.

But then Christmas last year the toy store Harper and Skyler Toys and Sweets was robbed in a brazen smash and grab just before Christmas. 

The usual idiot mindset of Charlotte of course was no big deal, they have insurance so its ok. But anyone in retail will tell you that insurance won't cover the loss of sales during during the busy Christmas shopping season. Surprising to CP that they are still in business.

While the Mayor and the property management company that runs the shopping center claim crime is no different at the Park Road Shopping Center than at other malls that has not been the perception.

Now people have noticed that the US Post Office lobby is locked except during the hours when the service window is attended. That means your post office box and the self-service postage machine are no longer available after hours.

No one is saying exactly what happened but the US Postal Service mentions the safety of their employees and acts of vandalism. And in the same statement they speak of unsafe and unsanitary conditions. (Read some homeless person dropped a deuce in the lobby).

Panhandlers are of course now a common sight at the intersection of Woodlawn Road and Park Road. This was not the case when Charlotte's Mayor Vi Lyles took office.

A quick check of crime stats for the shopping center shows 17 crimes reported in the last 30 days at the shopping center. Kept in mind this is from data released by the City of Charlotte and CMPD. A few weeks ago CMPD stopped providing data to Crime Mapping the on-line reporting service used by most of the nation's police departments. 

Let's face it the vibe at Park Road has changed. Post COVID Charlotte Uptown, SouthPark, Carolina Place and the Park Road Shopping Center are not the same. CMPD Officers in low crime areas like Ballantyne and Myers Park are basically nowhere to be found. Still reports of daily shootings and gun fire nearby are quietly dismissed by local media.

In fact this story hasn't been covered by the local media except The Charlotte Ledger. But what we really are starting to notice is that Charlotte's "wedge" of prosperity is shrinking and areas once considered safe are no more and that includes the Park Road Shopping Center.

California Resident Renee Jewel Ferrari Charged With Trafficking Held Under $1,000,000.00 Bond

Bakersfield California resident Renee Jewel Ferrari was arrested by CMPD Wednesday afternoon and charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine and and two counts of trafficking marijuana. 

Renee Ferrari Photo Courtesy MCSO

She is currently being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail under a $1 million dollar bond.

According to sources Ferrari was in possession of more than 10 pounds of Marijuana and nearly a pound of Cocaine at the time of her arrest.

December 19, 2024 Update:

Meck County Judge lowered her bail to $500,000 on she remains in the Meck County Jail.

Charlotte Douglas Airport police checking inbound baggage from an LA fight connecting through Denver with a K-9. The K-9 alerted on luggage belonging to Ms. Ferrari. Ferrari was later questioned at baggage claim.

According to court records officers were granted a search warrant and confiscated nearly 6 pounds of Cocaine and 23 pound of Marijuana. 

Renee Ferrari Photo Via Facebook 

Renee Ferrari remains behind bars. Her next court appearance date has not been reported.

Where are they now?

2nd CMS Bus Shooter Arrested

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Officers have now arrested Paris Lewis-Bynum for his part in Monday's school bus shooting. Earlier Lamarius Ramel Anthony was arrested on Tuesday for his part in the shooting and was released on an unsecured bond 3 hours later.

Bynum is charged with the following:

Possession of a Stolen Firearm
Possession of a Firearm by Felon
Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill
Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle

In the past Byrum has been arrested 6 times facing more than 22 charges. All but one of those charges were dismissed by the Mecklenburg County DA Spencer Merriweather.

Past charges include:

STOLEN FIREARM AS A FELON

FAIL TO HEED LIGHT OR SIREN 11/22/2020 DISMISSED REASON JUDICIAL EFFICIENCY

FLEE/ELUDE ARREST W/MV (M) 11/22/2020 DISMISSED REASON JUDICIAL EFFICIENCY

NO OPERATORS LICENSE 11/22/2020 DISMISSED REASON JUDICIAL EFFICIENCY 

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY WITH A DANGEROUS WEAPON

PWISD COCAINE

BREAK OR ENTER A MOTOR VEHICLE

FELONY CONSPIRACY

BREAK OR ENTER A MOTOR VEHICLE

RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER

PROBATION VIOLATION - FEL OUT OF COUNTY GIVEN ADDITIONAL COMSERV
BREAKING AND ENTERING MOTOR VEHICLE (2 COUNTS) 4/26/2023  

FELONY CONSPIRACY

POSSESS MARIJUANA

MISDEMEANOR LARCENY

ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY 6/11/2022 DISMISSED NO REASON

RECKLESS DRIVING TO ENDANGER - 6/19/2021 REASON EFFICIENCY

HIT AND RUN PROPERTY DAMAGE - 6/19/2021 DISMISSED

Prior convictions include:

Possession of a Firearm by Felon 3/28/2024 Felony Class H (Mecklenburg County)

Fleeing to Elude Arrest  5/228/2023 Felony Class H (Cabarrus County)

Hit and Run 5/28/2023 (Cabarrus County)

Possess Stolen Vehicle 5/28/2023 Felony Class H (Cabarrus County)

Resisting Arrest 5/28/2023 Misdemeanor Class 2 (Cabarrus County)

Drivers License Revoked 5/28/2023 (Cabarrus County)

Cedar's Take:

Incarceration saves lives. This thug is on probation but North Carolina's probation officers are untrained, underpaid, understaffed and under motivated. In this case they had not a clue what this pos was up to.

Additionally the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Court is a disaster. Their ability to perform the basic duties of the clerk are without a doubt unacceptable. They have failed to provide probation officers and NC DOC timely information with delays of up to six months.

December 20, 2024 Update:

Based on evidence gathered Paris Lewis-Bynum has additionally been charged with:

BREAKING/ENTERING MOTOR VEHICLE

LARCENY OF A FIREARM

FELONY CONSPIRACY

H/I FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION

He has been denied bail at this time.

Charlotte's New Year's Eve MASS SHOOTER GETS PROBATION

This is how WSOC's Joe Bruno reported this case yesterday:

The man who shot 5 people celebrating New Year’s Eve in Romare Bearden Park last year will spend up to three years behind bars. Daevion Crawford, 20, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury Monday morning.

Daevion Crawford Photo MCSO

Discrepancies between the court's paperwork and the NC DOC website are evident.  The defendant was also given 36 months probation and a contingent release. Meaning he could possibly be out of jail before Christmas. NC DOC Website says his sentence is probation and his sentences are suspended. The judge's paperwork suggests the sentence for the first count is 20-36 months the second count to run consecutively but the NC DOC says concurrently.  Further handwritten notation states that "those sentences are suspended".

Joe Bruno continues:

Because under the terms of the plea deal with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, Crawford will spend 20 to 36 months behind bars with credit for 350 days served. He will then have to complete 36 months of supervised probation and a cognitive behavioral intervention course. If he violates that probation, he will have to serve an additional 20-36 months.

Judge Carla Archie accepted the guilty plea.

“I hope these past decisions will not be an indication of your future decisions. Your decisions have consequences” Judge Archie said. “But for the grace of God, no one is dead. But I want you to think hard on the decisions you make from here on out.”

In court, Crawford only spoke when addressed by the judge. He didn’t apologize or address any of the five victims. His attorney, Eddie Thomas, claimed he was remorseful

“He never meant to harm anyone,” Thomas said. “Certainly not innocent bystanders.”

Thomas said the shooting stemmed from a dispute between Crawford and someone who broke into his good friend’s car. He says that person found out that Crawford knew he broke in and thought he was snitching. He claims threats and words were exchanged on social media. According to Thomas, Crawford got a gun to protect himself from that person.

The attorney says Crawford brought the gun with him on New Year’s Eve while he and two friends were in Uptown. Thomas says Crawford and his friends were walking through Romare Bearden Park when they saw that man. Thomas claims the man said something threatening to Crawford and then started to reach toward him. He says Crawford fired his weapon in response.

“It is a mistake that he made but at the moment he thought it was right,” Thomas said. “But now he recognizes the danger to everyone else.”

Assistant District Attorney Maria Caino says after the shooting, Crawford ran. She says detectives with CMPD’s real time crime center were able to give officers a description of Crawford. CMPD then used cameras to track Crawford and his friends as they tried to flee. Caino says while Crawford was running, he bumped into a police officer. The officer saw the magazine hanging out of his pocket.

CMPD was able to arrest Crawford after he returned to the scene looking for his cell phone.

“The defendant and some of his friends went back to the scene of the shooting because the defendant dropped his phone there,” Caino said. “They were waiting outside the taped area when he was spotted and detained.”

Caino says he had on him a 45-caliber magazine with 13 rounds in it.

In the days after the shooting, Caino says Crawford’s girlfriend called him in jail to say his mom got the gun and hid it in his aunt’s house in a safe. CMPD was listening to the call and recovered the gun after obtaining a search warrant. Caino says his mom would later call him in jail to yell at him for saying too much in jail calls.

Five people were hurt by Crawford. Cirilo Gonzalez Cruz suffered a gunshot wound to his right foot. It went through his foot and almost severed three toes and he had to have surgery to reconnect them. Amanda Salazar was shot in the right leg below the knee. Deashia Gaddy was shot in the right leg. Laura Trochin was shot in the right ankle. Caino says the bullet shattered her tibia and she had to have a metal rod installed in her leg to keep it together. Vanessa Daumen was shot in the bottom of her right foot.

Trochin was working as an au pair. The couple she was staying with told Judge Archie that Trochin had to return to Italy after the shooting and that she is still suffering physically and emotionally.

“She didn’t feel safe in this country anymore,” the couple told Judge Archie.

Crawford had zero prior record points. Judge Archie told Crawford she hopes he learns from this.

“This is not a game,” she said. “You have one life and that is it.”

Cedar's Take:

This is nuts - and it's open season on people Uptown. No one is safe as there are no consequences for shooting people at random. 

Everyone of Crawford's victims has suffered life altering physical injuries. He didn't just shoot one person he shot 5 and the Mecklenburg District Attorney decided that because he's a person of color and has no white privilege he deserved a break and the judge agreed.

He should have been sentenced to 440 months (36.6 years), 88 months for each count "boxcar'd" to run consecutively for the class "E" felony. 

This is insane and people in Charlotte are stupid if they venture Uptown on New Year's Eve.

Note: It is apparently not unusual for the judge's order and the NC DOC website to conflict. Eventually someone will get it right. The likely outcome is that he remains behind bars until August of 2025 and will then serve his probation. 

But no restitution was imposed and most of the cost of court were waived. This is an absolute total "Charlies Foxtrot" for the law abiding taxpayers of Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County and Charlotte Fire - Government Overreach

Seems Charlotte Fire Department and the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal have lost their collective minds over garden gnomes. 

Obviously, everyone should be aware of fire safety. Overcrowded restaurants and bars, movie theaters with blocked exits or sprinkler systems that are uninspected, and fire extinguishers that have not been serviced. Homeless camps with open fires and space heaters in homes. 

All should be priority concerns

Then there are apartments with charcoal grills on balconies or generators in garages which are clearly critical issues affecting fire safety. 

But CFD and the Mecklenburg Fire Marshal have taken these concerns to a new level - garden gnomes. 

Bill Parsons lost his wife last year; she loved garden gnomes. The only trouble is when they moved into a retirement community in Matthews they gave up their garden, trading their Providence Plantation home on a well-manicured 1 acre lot for a two bedroom condo in an upscale retirement community.

Says Bill; "The first thing my wife did was unpack "Edgar" her favorite garden gnome and placed him by our new front door". The couple gave away most of their garden gnomes to family and neighbors when they moved. But Edgar was special, a gift from Bill to his wife of 62 years on their first anniversary.

The move into the Matthews retirement community was a hard choice but as 87-year-old Bill says it was time.

Well, apparently Charlotte Fire noticed that old people like to "fancy up" the area outside of their apartment home doors with just a little something extra. In most cases it's a personal memento or potted plant. Some have Christmas decorations, wreaths, a tiny Santa, or glitter reindeer. 

Some have sundials, or small benches, others have small tables with flowers. A quick survey of one building determined that every one of 18 doors in the 3-story building had some small momento, a personal touch added to the entrance of each senior's home.

But these small items are apparently enough to cause a VIOLATION and the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal is threatening fines and jail time for seniors who violate the rules.

(Wait until they find out people in retirement communities feed squirrels.)

In a letter shared with Mr. Parsons Chief Fire Marshal Ted G. Panagiotopoulos states:

Section 315 of the NC Fire Code prohibits combustible storage from being stored or kept within the common means of egress in occupied buildings. This includes furniture, planters, fixtures, and/or any other contents that can be potentially ignited or be exposed to a fire, as this would jeopardize the means of egress and possibly impede occupants from using the common exit areas to evacuate the building.

Section 1031 of the Code also prohibits storage of contents within the means of egress because this creates obstructions or impediments to the building’s designed egress, in case of fire or other emergency. If these furnishings, fixtures, or other contents were not originally approved as part of the design package for these buildings, then these items must be removed from the common areas, therefore I would greatly appreciate if you can advise the residents of the complex that placing or keeping furniture, fixtures, and/or other contents within the common areas of these buildings violates the fire code.

The letter from Panagiotopoulos goes on:

Given the upcoming holiday season and understanding that residents may require some additional time to remove or relocate their contents, I’m approving an extension of time for compliance, which will expire on January 15, 2025, at which time we will conduct a reinspection of these building areas. 

If these contents or items have not been removed from the common areas, we will have no choice but to issue a citation to any resident(s) failing to comply with this directive. A fine of $200 will be issued for each remaining violation.

Cedar's Take:

I get it, the rules are the rules. But these people, most in the final years of their lives, could use a little compassion and joy. 

Most of these residents if not all, have given up their homes to live in a far different place and with that they have given up much of themselves. These small items at their front doors are the last measure of personal freedom before they are confined to a nursing home bed or a cemetery plot.

The idea that the interior corridors of an apartment building should be without anything and each just like the one across the hall seems to be just another government overreach.

Maybe Mr. Parsons needs a new garden gnome outside his front door?