Some People Just Need To Stay Locked Up!

Freaks in particular.

So why do Mecklenburg County Judges keep letting this freak out of jail?

William Anthony Dibella aka Steven Dibella Photo Courtesy MCSO

William and his twin Brother Stephen have records in Gaston, and Mecklenburg counties along with Dozens of arrests, countless B&E and Auto theft charges, endless parole and probation violations and likey untold number of crimes not yet discovered. 

William's latest: Flee and Elude, Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Drugs and more. 

Add a probation violation on priors and more pending B&E charges.

But the Meck DA and Judges will turn him lose once again. You've been warned.

CMPD Chief "Backwards Johnny" Agrees to Exit

Yesterday Michael Graff who is older than most the dirt around Charlotte and a fairly well known freelance writer posted his spin on his newly created The Charlotte Optimist. 

The CMPD Chief apparently wanted a sympathetic voice to "clear the air" giving the exclusive interview to Graff.

First the "presser" gives Jennings departure date as January 1, 2026.

And it turns out the total package Charlotte City Council agreed to pay off CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings rumored to be between $100,000 and perhaps as high as $300K is actually $305,000.

The Chief's shake down of Charlotte Taxpayers started back in November and by April it was secretly agreed to with nearly one half of Charlotte City Council absent.

But the leaked information started public outrage that was quick and fiery. 

"Backwards Johnny" has now labeled the payoff a "separation agreement" rather than a settlement.

Basically here is his payoff:

$25,000 for costs he incurred in the dispute, including legal counsel.

A 5 percent merit increase for 2025, retroactive to January 1, totaling $14,017. 

An additional 40 vacation days, valued at $45,284, to use at his discretion. If he doesn’t use them by January 1, he’ll be paid for them.

A retention bonus of $45,699, paid in two installments, to stay through the end of the year while the city searches for his replacement.

Severance of $175,000, to be paid in January 2026.

The complete agreement is here.

And the addendum that allows the release of the above agreement is here.

The rest of the story:

Turns out the chief was really "butt hurt" over the "outer carry vests" issue and he still thinks most officers don't like the idea.

His opposition to the vests folded last April after the deaths of our four law enforcement officers Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer, and North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections officers Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott all died during an ambush attack in which the shooter was also killed.

Says Graff: 

When Jennings took the job in 2020, he continued a long-running department rule that restricted patrol officers from wearing outer vest carriers, or ballistic vests over the uniform, unless they had a medical exemption. The three previous police chiefs all had it in place, too. They believed the vests didn’t align with community-oriented policing philosophies, which attempt to bridge gaps between officers and the people they serve. Jennings had made “customer service” central to his administration, and he kept the uniform policy.

“That’s not the look that I want for our police department,” Jennings told me.

Bokhari, who represented south Charlotte until April, and the local Fraternal Order of Police believed all officers should have the option to wear them. This wasn’t a new position for them, either: Bokhari had been advocating for the vests for more than two years. He often cited research that showed the vests improved officer comfort, and conversations with officers who said they wanted the vests. 

Jennings maintains that many officers didn’t want the vests, and that the loudest people don’t always represent the majority.

But Jennings complaint is more than just about the vests. He cites vocal opposition to his policies and management style and tells Graff:

“The push for me to be fired,” Jennings said. “The push for the city manager to be fired, the push for the petition for people to go online and sign for my termination or forcing the manager to fire me.”

The original story posted by Michael Graff is here. 

Cedar's Take:

But the reality is this entire adventure was clearly a money grab, a legal version of Tiawanna Brown's raid on the SBA. Jennings had apparently already secured a job in the private sector and turned his spat with Borkai into a way to fleece Charlotte Taxpayers with a final FU on his way out the door.

Panic will now settle in at CMPD as not only has the rudderless ship been confirmed but the department is seriously void of any real leadership. Which means the city manager who is also on the likely to make a departure list and the city council which is obviously going to undergo some serious change come November will have to deal with this unmitigated disaster right off the bat.

Like I've been saying you can not make this up.

Charlotte's attempt to hire from outside the department was a disaster. Rodney Monroe by many accounts was an epic fool (See Golf Cart), a cheat See (Education) and a liar (See Jonathan Ferrell).

So the next move was to promote from within enter Putney and Jennings. But Jennings simply promoted the DEI hires and that will leave the department a mess.

Yes he'll claim his leadership, reduced the man power shortage. But his has no clue as the the low level of morale or the coming exits. Additionally Charlotte has far fewer officers than it should have.

I've used Boston a city I worked in for on and off for 25 years as an example:

Boston:

Population 650,238

Square Miles 89

Number of Officers 2,144

Homicides 2024: 24

Charlotte:

Population 923,164

Square Miles 310

Number of Officers 1,587

Homicides 2024: 111

In Boston you can not turn a corner and not see a cop. They are everywhere. They protect street and utility crews whenever they need to block the road. Traffic law compliance is exceptional. 

You can walk across the Boston Common after dark and run the Charles River before sunrise and not have to deal with, muggers, homeless or prevents.

In Charlotte while "Backwards Johnny" is getting a nice goodbye package rooks struggle to cover basic costs of living in the Queen City. Even five year Officers need to load up on secondary if they have kids. But Johnny got his.

Did someone say "pledge fund"?

Come on Charlotte get your act together.

Body Count - Charloot

CMPD PIO last night:

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Homicide Unit are conducting a homicide investigation in the 4000 block of North Graham Street in the North Tryon Division.

On Saturday, May 24, shortly before 8:30 p.m., officers responded to an Assault with a Deadly Weapon call for service in the 4000 block of North Graham Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered a victim with a gunshot wound. MEDIC transported the victim to a local hospital where they were pronounced deceased.

CMPD said it's still working to figure out a motive behind the shooting, and stated that the fact the shooting unfolded in one location while the victims drove to another initially complicated the investigation. However, officers said they were able to find evidence in the initial area along Reagan Drive.

This homicide follows an "Assault with a Deadly Weapon" investigation in the 1800 block of Stroud Park Court in the Metro Division on Friday.

Again from CMPD PIO: 

On Friday, May 23, shortly before 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a call for service in the 1800 block of Stroud Park Court. Upon arrival, officers discovered three victims with gunshot wounds.

All three were transported to area hospitals. Two suffered life-threatening injuries while the third sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

A suspect was arrested shortly after and there is currently no search for additional suspects in this case.

Charloot is well on the way to another 100 murders in 2025.

Officially CMPD reported 111 Homicides in 2024 compared to 89 in 2023. But numbers are just lies that look like facts. 

Look at the CMPD numbers for violent crimes: 7,413 offenses in 2024 compared to 7,215 offenses in 2023. A 2.67% in violent crime, which is not bad.

But the first quarter spin was:

In the first quarter of 2025, Charlotte, NC experienced a significant decrease in violent crime, including a reduction in homicides. Specifically, there were 20 homicides in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 32 in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD). This marked a 17% drop in violent crime rates overall.

Sadly the illusion of a safer Charlotte didn't last long. Since March 31, 2025 another 23 bodies have hit the floor. At this rate the 2nd Quarter will have 38 homicides on the books and that's a 90% increase over the prior quarter.

"Cooking the books is nothing new at CMPD. Dumbing down arrests, inflating reports and dismissing facts.

Moreover, a 2.67% drop in reported crime doesn't support a 17% drop in violent crime.

Charlotte Government lacks transparency. 

It doesn't matter if it is closed door payoffs to the police chief, federal indictments, no bid contracts, outside consulting agreements, CMPD reserves, secondary jobs or promotions that seem to be based on DEI protocol. 

It's time to clean house in Charlotte.

Robin Emmons - Open Letter

Robin Emmons is a college educated, former bank employee with a background in finance, she is a well known social activist. 

She is also a resident of district 3 and has released the following "Open Letter" expressing her concerns regarding Tiawana Brown, Garry McFadden, and Charlotte City Council's payment to Johnny Jennings.

She takes particular issue with Councilwoman Brown's statement "the justice system does not favor people who look like me" calling it a careless deflection from legitimate inquiry.

Props to Joe Bruno for posting her letter on "X".

Charlotte City Council You Couldn't Make This Up

Just days after allegedly voting to give our CMPD Chief a $300,000 check, Charlotte City Councilwoman Tiawana Brown apparently told supporters "here hold my beer"!

According to local news Brown and her daughters have been indicted on federal charges, according to a press release sent by the US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

The charges were made public Thursday morning, hours after Brown sent an early morning press release saying she expected to face federal charges.

Brown was elected to the city council in 2023 and represents District 3, covering most of west Charlotte.

Tiawana Brown Thursday May 22, 2025

During a press conference Thursday morning, Brown read from her press release saying in part: “I am not here to be tried in the media,” - “However, I must address the allegations against me by the United States District Court. I will have my day in court, and I trust the process.”

A press release about the indictment sent by the US Attorney described an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain federal money during the pandemic:

“According to allegations in the indictment, between April 2020 and September 2021, the defendants conspired to execute a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and obtain COVID pandemic relief funds for their purported businesses, through the submission of loan applications that contained false information or false documentation. It is alleged that the false documentation generally included fake and fraudulent tax forms, among other misrepresentations. It is further alleged that the defendants submitted false statements to obtain forgiveness of the PPP loans. In total, the defendants allegedly submitted at least 15 applications for EIDL or PPP funds and falsely obtained at least $124,165 in connection with their scheme to defraud.”

According to the US Attorney’s Office press release, Brown used money for a number of expenses not related to a business, including spending $15,000 on a birthday party for herself.

At a press conference Thursday morning, Brown confirmed the indictment is at least partially related to a company called TC Collections.

Records of PPP loans show a Tiawana Brown in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the recipient of a $20,833 loan that was approved on April 27, 2021. 

The indictment from the US Attorney’s Office specifically mentions the $20,833 PPP loan, noting that the amount was wired to a bank account on May 5, 2021.

The information on the PPP loan does not name a company and notes the industry as a Women’s Clothing Store. 

CP searched the North Carolina Secretary of State's website for either a business called TC Collections or a business listing Tiawana Brown as an officer or member and in all cases the results returned as not found.

According to WBTV: The company does not appear to have its own website outside of the Facebook and Instagram pages.

Brown was apparently convicted in 1994 on felony fraud charges and served four years in federal prison. Since her release, Brown has served on various boards and councils seeking incarceration reform.

This fact is not listed on her public resume posted on the Charlotte City Council website or mentioned on any of her social media pages.

Brown also started a non-profit called Beauty After the Bars. IRS records show the company is a registered non-profit but had its status revoked in 2020 for not filing the necessary forms. The non-profit status was reinstated by the IRS in 2023.

Cedar's Take:

In 2020 and 2021 Mrs. Cedar (who just happens to be a SBA lender) and her team processed more than 100 PPP loans for existing bank customers. Many are businesses you drive past daily in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. The SBA PPP and EIDL loans were the help that was clearly needed in the face of very uncertain economic times during the mandatory shutdowns,

However, one of her customers when told he was approved for a PPP loan called Mrs Cedar back an hour later and said: 

"I've been thinking, since the start of the COVID pandemic our business has actually increased and we are doing pretty well. Tell you what, use that money for a small business that really needs it, we will be ok without it."

Councilwoman Brown deserves her day in court where she will hopefully be found not guilty. Until then she should resign her position effective immediately. 

North Carolina State Auditor Goes After Charlotte City Council

Republican state auditor Dave Boliek is investigating the City of Charlotte for "the $100,000 to $300,000 in public dollars may have been given" to police chief Johnny Jennings to avoid a potential lawsuit.

City staff have not confirmed to the public how much money was paid or even whether a payment exists, as Boliek underscored in a letter sent Tuesday to Charlotte City Council.

"Even if the payment was worth one penny, it should be disclosed to the public in a timely and transparent matter," Boliek wrote. "There is no tax dollar free from public scrutiny."

According to multiple media reports, the council voted behind closed doors on May 5 to pay Jennings $300,000 so he would not take legal action against the city for comments former council member Tariq Bokhari made.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles would later publicly apologize to the Chief saying in part that she should have spoken up sooner. 

In texts published by WFAE, Bokhari told Jennings he would call on the chief's resignation and work to "cripple" his legacy if he did not agree to let officers wear outer carrier vests.

The city has not confirmed the settlement. Instead, officials — including interim City Attorney Anthony Fox and City Council member Malcolm Graham — have discussed investigating leaks of information to the media.

Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police is taking a no-confidence vote against Jennings, and fractures within council are being revealed.

"It is my understanding there is a possibility that as much as $100,000 to $300,000 in public dollars may have been given to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings for a legal settlement that may have been entered into by the City Council," Boliek wrote in his letter.

Boliek continued, "This is only what has been gathered by the Auditor's Office from news reports, social media, and conversation. The truth of the matter remains unclear."

The reported settlement may be higher than Jennings' yearly salary of just over $280,000.

Boliek remarked that the mayor's office could quickly release information that answers some of the most pressing questions — "which I strongly encourage."

Per state law, the city can vote on settlements behind closed doors, but it must publicly share the terms "as soon as possible" after finalizing the deal, as the Charlotte Observer reported.

However, the city has a poor track record of timeliness and transparency, from taking excessive time to fulfill public records requests to failing to publish city minutes.

The settlement fiasco has revealed ruptures within the council. WSOC reported that one council member's vote was counted as a "yes" because they left the room without being formally excused. That brought the tally to six votes, just enough for the settlement to pass.

Cedar's Take:

Liberal media even Axios which is somewhat more centric are fast to point out the Boliek who holds an elected position is a Republican. 

But his criticism of Charlotte City Council is well founded. What city government or any elected body would be allowed to settle a "pending lawsuit" that had little if any merit without a full understanding and public discourse or record meeting minutes as much as 3 years after the meeting has concluded. 

Currently the city clerk is only 26 months behind which is a nice improvement over 2022. But in a real world setting of local government, meeting minutes are formally entered into the record at the next following meeting. 

The city staff explain that since there is a video posted the next day the minutes are an unnecessary burden. 

Let's face facts the Mayor is ceremonial the council are all democrats with the exception of the two "Ed's" - Ed Peacock and "bidenesque" Ed Driggs neither of which have the drive to out the grift and DEI hires. Bravo to Dave Boliek for pointing out the obvious.

But the City of Charlotte's troubles run deeper than just sketchy City Council. It is clear to long time residents there has been a noticeable change in just about everything. 

Streets and Roads are awful

Street signs are in sad shape or completely missing.  

Traffic Enforcement is nearly non-existent.

Public Parks are unsafe

Every intersection is covered with litter and accident debris.

City management is disproportionately African American.

Police Call response time and 911 are far from what they used to be.

Solid Waste is a circus.   

Cost of city water is outrageous.

Property Tax is insane.

And it is only going to get worse.

Local News Media Dog Piles CMPD Chief

You know things are not looking good when the liberal media starts asking real questions.

The "Local Paper" came up with "Four Questions" running the following story (plus countless pop up and spammy links and adverts.) on line and on social media. 

More than a week after news broke of the Charlotte City Council agreeing to a settlement with the city’s chief of police, key questions about the situation remain unanswered. WSOC and WFAE reported May 6 the City Council agreed in closed session to a financial settlement with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings. 

The deal reportedly prevented a potential lawsuit over now former-Council member Tariq Bokhari’s push to get new bulletproof vests for police officers. 

Council member Victoria Watlington sparked fresh controversy over the reported deal when she sent an email to supporters saying she was “extremely concerned with the level of unethical, immoral, and frankly, illegal activities occurring within City government.” The email didn’t specify what she was referring to, and Watlington told The Charlotte Observer she was concerned about “the culture of the organization and how work is done.” 

The email prompted a press conference Wednesday with Mayor Vi Lyles and other council members, who called the claims “unfounded” and for Watlington to produce evidence to support her comments. Watlington sent another email Thursday saying she does not have concerns about “financial or widespread corruption.” 

But the city has not confirmed a settlement deal. 

Officials also haven’t announced what, if any, investigations will arise from the incidents. Here are some still lingering questions about the reported settlement. 

How much will Charlotte pay Jennings? 

The city has not publicly announced the terms of the settlement with Jennings, including the exact amount of any payout. WFAE reported it’s a six-figure amount, and Council member Tiawana Brown said on Facebook the amount was $300,000. 

That’s more than Jennings’ annual salary of $280,334. Brown told the Observer Monday what she posted was an estimate based on what she’s heard from others because she was absent from the April 28 closed session. 

The Observer and other media outlets filed public records requests with the city for the settlement terms. 

Will Charlotte disclose settlement amount? 

State law allows for closed session votes on settlements, but the terms must be made public “as soon as possible with a reasonable time after the settlement is concluded,” attorney Mike Tadych told the Observer. 

Asked when and if the city would announce the settlement amount, interim City Attorney Anthony Fox told reporters after Wednesday’s press conference he would “comply with the law.” But he stopped short of explicitly pledging to release settlement details. 

Tadych, who specializes in First Amendment law, noted the city’s history of struggling to fulfill records requests and produce meeting minutes swiftly. “Given Charlotte’s near failure to keep minutes of their meetings in a timely fashion, who knows when that will occur,” he said. 

What would Jennings have sued for? 

Jennings has not commented publicly on the situation. Based on the limited information available, Jennings could sue on civil allegations of defamation or emotional harm, University of North Carolina School of Law professor Rick Su told the Observer. Defamation suits require false statements be published to a third party and have caused injury to the plaintiff’s reputation. As a public figure, Jennings also would have to prove “actual malice,” a legal distinction that says the allegedly defamatory statement had to have been said with knowledge of or reckless disregard for its falsity. Su said he saw nothing in current news reports to suggest that Bokhari’s statements “would be knowingly false and done purely out of malice.” 

Will city attorney investigate closed session leaks? 

During Wednesday’s press conference, City Council member Malcolm Graham called for city leaders to consider an investigation into who is responsible for leaking information about closed session meetings. 

“They impact the ability for the City Council and the manager’s office to have a relationship that works, that’s built on trust and transparency,” Graham said of leaks. “Many of the leaks to the media in front of me are half truths about a wide variety of issues, and because we cannot disclose they go unanswered.” 

Fox told reporters that day any investigation would likely involve bringing in outside counsel. 

He also suggested leaking closed session details could lead to criminal penalties. 

But Fox walked back that comment Friday, releasing a statement through a city spokesperson saying he meant to say a person “could be subject to criminal sanctions” if they share information from a personnel file under state privacy law. A city spokesperson had not answered follow-up questions from an Observer reporter about whether Fox will pursue an investigation as of Tuesday afternoon. Lyles did not address the potential of a leak investigation at Monday’s council meeting, but she did announce a plan to partner with Council member Renee Perkins Johnson on efforts to change and improve the council’s processes.

Cedar's Take:

You can't really believe a word the Mayor says after all according to the city website: "The mayor is the ceremonial head of the city government" but was happy to accept a free membership at Myers Park Country Club.

The City Clerk is only 3 years behind in recording council meeting minutes. 

The City Attorney is "interim" and suddenly has no intent of seeking the job on a full-time basis.

The entire saga was instigated by NAACP queen Corin Mack who is best equated to a combination of Al Sharpton and Maxine Waters.

The pearl clutching mayor Vi Lyles tossed fuel on the fire then held a presser in chambers to apologize to the chief.

CP talked to CMPD working the PGA Championship and most were more concerned about the continued rain vs the fate of Chief. The general consensus is JJ has somehow forgotten that every day they are insulted by some of Charlotte's finest citizens and no one at Charlotte City Council is offering to pay them a bonus.

The best comment came from a unnamed sergeant who suggested that "Maybe Bokhari and Jennings should just patch up thier "bromance" over a couple of beers and hug it out" . 

More from Quail Hollow later. CP