Road Rager Sent Back to Mecklenburg County Courts

 

Demont Forte is back in Charlotte after a shortened 8 year prison sentence. 

Forte earned himself an eight year trip to Raleigh for crimes in Mecklenburg County and conviction as a habitual felon. 

But he gained city wide attention for a 2022 road rage incident where he hit a woman so hard she flew out of her shoes.

In the case that had him sentenced to an active prison sentence the facts were simple.

On 6 December 2019, Forte assaulted a woman in a public parking lot. When police arrived on the scene, he had fled.  Warrants were issued for his arrest, and officers later recognized defendant while he was driving.  

When the officers activated their lights and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, defendant did not stop and attempted to evade the officers. 

Defendant was eventually apprehended and charged with two counts of assault on a female, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of feloniously operating a motor vehicle to elude arrest.  

On 8 April 2024, defendant was found guilty on all charges.  After rendering its verdict, the jury was instructed to determine whether defendant had attained habitual felon status. 

This testimony showed that defendant Forte had been convicted of felonies for the possession of cocaine in 1996, 2002, and 2005.  

The jury then returned a guilty verdict as to defendant’s habitual felon status. 

At the sentencing phase, the State submitted that defendant had seven total convictions. 

These were: (1) felony fleeing to elude arrest in the case at hand; (2-4)  the three felony convictions previously submitted to the jury; (5) felony possession of cocaine; (6) voluntary manslaughter; and (7) a federal conviction for possession of a forged or counterfeit instrument.

The trial court then sentenced defendant to 78 to 106 months of imprisonment.  Meaning he would serve at least 6 1/2 years behind bars.

Defendant’s misdemeanor convictions were to run consecutively, and the felony conviction was to run concurrently with the other two sentences.  

Demont Forte NC Department of Corrections

Forte was moved to the custody of the NC Department of Corrections on 05/06/2024. But his prison stint was short lived as his sentence was remanded back to Mecklenburg County on 06/09/2025 and is now awaiting resentencing.

Apparently the new North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson didn't put up much of an argument and Judge John Arrowood ruled that Forte be resentence to correct a clerical error with Judges Jefferson Griffin and Valerie Zachary concurring.

People who followed the road rage case were stunned when liberal judge Jennifer Fleet released Forte on a no cash bail. Three arrests later he would finally end up, on trial which would result in a guilty jury verdict and jail time.

Forte was charged in 1992 with Murder, but a plea deal would have Forte pleading guilty to only Voluntary Manslaughter in 1994 but he received only probation.

Given the soft on crime stance of the Mecklenburg DA and NC Attorney General's impotence Forte stands a reasonable chance of winning release and credit for time served. 

Lock your doors Charloot!