Sidney Cain Charged with Felony Death By Vehicle

Overnight CMPD Officers arrested a tearful Sidney Cain (44) and charged her with felony death by vehicle and felony hit and run for running down and killing a pedestrian Michael Joseph Janik age 64, while driving impaired and leaving the scene refusing to give aid or render assistance.

Sidney Cain Age 44 Photo Courtesy MCSO

Cain is being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail on a $50,000 secured bond. 

She refused blood alcohol test so Officers sought and were granted a court ordered BAC. 

This is the second of two pedestrian versus vehicle accidents within about a two span. Both the Barrington Drive accident and this one on Fourth Street were fatal pedestrian accidents in Charlotte yesterday.

According to court records Ms. Cain fled the scene leaving the victim Mr. Janik in the roadway. Additionally she also refused a sobriety test and therefore her North Carolina Drivers License has been revoked. Officers concluded that she was driving while impaired and her car has been reported as impounded as well.

Fleeing the scene of an accident is essentially taken as an admission of guilt and is always a bad look. This lack of impulse control is not shocking. The behavior of someone who you might expect to have dozens of prior arrests yet a review of court records shows nothing. So why run? One can only assume it is a cultural thing.

CMS High School Teacher Arrested

 CMPD arrested Harding High School teacher Adrian Roy Lewis 34, after a Sexual Assault Unit (SAU) investigation.

Adrian Roy Lewis Photo Courtesy MCSO

On Friday, April 4, a school resource officer at Harding University High School reported allegations of inappropriate messages sent to a student.

Upon further investigation CMPD Officers interviewed a CMS teacher Adrian Lewis and placed him under arrest. He's charged with indecent liberties with a student and is being held on a $25,000.00 bond.

Indecent liberties with a student is a class "G" felony however does not mean sexual contact. 

Harding High School's Principal sent the following message to student parents via email late on Friday:

Good Afternoon Harding University HS families. This is Principal Johnson-Scott. We are reaching out to let you know that law enforcement came to our campus today to make an arrest of one of our staff members. We wanted to let you know about this incident as you may see this on the news. Although I cannot discuss personnel information, please know that it is being managed by law enforcement. 

The safety and learning of our students are of the utmost importance to us all. We take this matter seriously and encourage all students to report any concerns to their parents and/or school administration. Reports can also be made anonymously through the Say Something App. Harding University HS administration will ensure that daily learning is not impacted.

We appreciate your continued support of Harding University High School.

Cedar Update: Lewis posted bail and was released at 10:37 a.m. Saturday April 5, 2025.

Cedar's Take:

Suggestion don't text pics of "your johnson" to students.

Meanwhile CMPD won't arrest a nut case firing an AR-15 randomly in a neighborhood.

Here's how the local paper reported this arrest:

Charlotte high school teacher jailed, accused of sending lurid messages to a student

A teacher at Harding University High School in Charlotte was charged with a child sex crime Friday after police accused him of sending lurid messages to a student.

University of South Carolina student, 21, killed by illegal immigrant: DHS

An illegal immigrant on the run from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement charged in the hit-and-run crash that killed a University of South Carolina Nate Baker Wednesday.

Rosali I. Fernandez-Cruz, 24, allegedly fled the fatal scene after he failed to yield and rammed his pick-up truck into a motorcycle operated by Nathanial Baker, 21, on Blossom and Assembly Streets near the university’s campus in Columbia around 2 p.m., according to the Columbia Police Department. 

Rosali I. Fernandez-Cruz, 24 Photo Courtesy City of Columbia, SC Police Department

The careless motorist, who was allegedly driving without a license, was wanted by ICE since 2018, a Department of Homeland Security source told The Post. 

“A South Carolina student was killed yesterday because of an illegal alien who had no right to be here,” South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace said in an X post Thursday.

“We’re going to fight like hell to get every last illegal alien out of South Carolina. We’re praying for the victim, his family, and the students at USC who have been touched by his passing. Hold the Line South Carolina.”

Sources said Fernandez-Cruz, a native of El Salvador, illegally crossed the US-Mexico border at an unknown date but was arrested by border patrol in Hidalgo, Texas on Dec. 24, 2016. He was released the next day and issued a notice to appear as DHS initiated removal proceedings.

An immigration judge in Charlotte, North Carolina, then ordered the illegal migrant to be sent back to his home country on Sept. 6, 2018, sources said.

South Carolina police said Fernandez-Cruz was driving with two male passengers when he killed Baker, a business major from Glen Allen, Virginia, and fled the crash site. He then abandoned his truck and was nabbed by a nearby officer who found and detained him near the 1100 block of Greene Street, according to cops.

ICE was notified of the arrest after police discovered Fernandez-Cruz’s name listed in the National Crime Information Center database.

The two passengers, who also ran from the scene, aren’t facing criminal charges, police said.

Scores of grief-stricken USC students have since created a memorial on a sidewalk near the deadly crash site, leaving behind messages in chalk, flowers, pictures, and candles, according to local reports.

“Rest in Peace, Nate,” one message said, WACH reported.

“Thank you for the memories. We love you so much.”

Baker’s fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta, also shared their sorrow on Instagram, calling their fallen brother a leader, role model and a true embodiment of what their group stands for.

Nate Baker and Parents

“Nate Baker brought light, laughter, and love into all of our lives,” the fraternity wrote in the post.

“Nate will always be remembered for the way he showed up for others and the impact he had on everyone around him. His passion, loyalty, and love for this brotherhood will never be forgotten. May we honor his memory by living with the same kindness, selflessness and generosity that he showed to everyone around him.”

The university released a statement calling the situation a tragedy. School officials offered their deepest sympathies to Baker’s family and friends while reminding the campus community that university counselors are available to grieving students.

Fernandez-Cruz was charged with hit-and-run resulting in death, failure to give information and render aid, failure to yield the right of way, and driving without a license.

He is being held without bond at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and an ICE detainer in place.