Man Accused of Killing Pregnant Co-Worker at Flying Biscuit Cafe Formally Indicted

From http://www.wcnc.com by NewsChannel 36 Staff, January 30, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The man accused of murdering his co-worker at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in south Charlotte earlier this month has formally been charged with the murder of his victim’s unborn child.

On Monday afternoon Mark Anthony Cox was also indicted on one count of murder in the death of Danielle Watson.

Cox, 22, is accused of murdering Watson, 25, on January 13 at the restaurant off of Rea Road at the StoneCrest Shopping Center.

The grand jury’s indictment also includes larceny and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

According to a search warrant, Cox confessed to his sister that he murdered Watson the night of the incident.

Cox told his sister he stabbed Watson multiple times during an argument inside the cafe, according to the search warrant.

“Cox continued to confess to (his sister) that after Cox killed his manager, he dumped her body in a dumpster,” the warrant states.

Seventeen members of the grand jury agreed on the indictments, which were released to the media around 4 p.m.

 

CMPD SaysTeens, While in Mecklenburg Jail, Plot to Kill Pizza Delivery Driver They Robbed

Murder was intended to eliminate the victim, the only witness against them, preventing trial for robbery

From http://www.wcnc.com by GLENN COUNTS / NewsChannel 36, January 30, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating a strange murder plot that originated behind bars.

Investigators tell NewsChannel 36, they received information that the plot involved two young female inmates who were arrested for the robbery of a Pizza Hut delivery driver in October.

Brittany Carter,16, and 17-year-old Zahra Reid are charged with armed robbery in the case.

Court documents suggest the teens planned to murder the driver in order to stop their potential trial.

“We can’t have a robbery trial if there is no victim,” one of the suspects is alleged to have said.

Through an interpreter, NewsChannel 36 spoke to the mother of the delivery driver who stated she “feels sorry for the mothers of the two girls.” The mom told NewsChannel 36, she didn’t want her identity to be revealed.

The driver works for a Pizza Hut located in Mint Hill. He was delivering to an address on Bondhaven Drive when the young suspects allegedly pulled a gun on him and tied him up, stealing his car and his money.

His family had no idea there was an alleged plot against his life.

“She couldn’t believe it, she thought it was a real bad move on their part, on top of what they already did,” said the delivery driver’s mother.

For now the teens are not facing any additional charges, but police are not finished with the investigation.

CMPD Says “Occupy” Protesters May Have Been Using Drain as Toilet

From http://www.wcnc.com by GREG ARGOS / NewsChannel 36 Staff, January 31, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C.– A haz-mat crew with the Charlotte Fire Department was called to 600 East Trade Street, the site of the Occupy Charlotte movement, on Tuesday morning.

City workers who had been cleaning the area noticed toilet paper on top of a storm water grate that drains into a nearby creek. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and city officials believe some protesters have been using the drain as a toilet.

“We’re looking at the environmental impact on the stream down there with the wildlife, and things like that,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Dulin.

“Plus the water goes downstream for other people to drink further down. But again, we’re just trying to cover all our bases, and make sure that if there is any type of environment impact, that we’re able to identify that and then correct that and make sure there is no further environmental impact downstream,” he added.

About four protesters watched as haz-mat crews scooped debris into five containers for testing. Eric Dow, who has been on the site since October 2011, says he never saw anyone using the drain as a toilet. He says new protesters are told where the closest public restrooms are.

“I’ll speak on behalf of most people out here,” said Dow. “We apologize that certain individuals would see this as something that we would do. And we’re sorry that it has to fall upon city workers to clean it up, because if we knew about it, we would have put a stop to it immediately.

A spokesperson for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said there are North Carolina laws against dumping sewage in storm water drains and that it’s illegal to put anything other than rain water down a storm drain. However, it’s unlikely anyone would be charged.

Court Hearing Cancelled

A hearing to possibly allow Occupy Charlotte back to its camp was cancelled Tuesday afternoon.

Protester attorneys hoped to get a temporary injunction, but that hearing will likely be rescheduled for next week.

One protester said the hearing was cancelled so the group could get more information together before heading to court.

Police Searching for Armed Man After Shooting in Lancaster, SC

From http://www.wbtv.com by Chris Dyches, Web Content Producer, January 31, 2012

LANCASTER, SC (WBTV) – Police Agencies in the Charlotte Region are searching for a man they consider armed and dangerous after another man was shot multiple times Monday night.

According to Lancaster, SC police, officers were called to the 2000 block of Pardue Street at 7:07 p.m. Monday night to the report of a shooting.

When officers arrived, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim told police that the shooter, later identified as 20-year-old Shibre Ikee Truesdale, was last seen driving away in a dark blue Honda Accord and headed north on East Meeting Street.

Lancaster Police say the victim was treated by emergency crews and was later transported to the Springs Memorial Hospital where he was last listed in serious, but stable condition.

Officers say they have arrest warrants against Truesdale for Attempted Murder and Possession of a Firearm during a Violent Crime.

Truesdale remains “at large” and has outstanding warrants from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office for burglary and armed robbery, WBTV has learned.

He is considered to be armed and dangerous, police say.

Anyone with information concerning his whereabouts should contact The Lancaster Police Department, The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, or the nearest law enforcement agency.

South Charlotte ATM Shooting Witness: “I knew it was a gunshot”

From www.wbtv.com, January 26, 2012 by Kristy Etheridge, Reporter

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – One of just a few witnesses in a South Charlotte shooting talked exclusively to WBTV Thursday.

Ola Antonissen was walking out of Curves at the Foxcroft shopping center off Fairview Road when she heard a gunshot.

 

“I heard this pop sound, and even though I’ve never heard a real gunshot before, I pretty much knew it was a gunshot,” said Antonissen.

Her eyes followed the sound to a nearby Wells Fargo ATM in the middle of the parking lot.

“I saw the door to the ATM, the back door where nobody usually goes in, I saw it was open and I thought that was strange. Then I saw somebody run to the left really fast, and somebody sort of run to the right. I was more focused on the person running to the left just because that was where my eye drew,” she said.

 

It turns out her eye was drawn to the suspected shooter.  At the time, Antonissen wasn’t sure if she was looking at the victim or the gunman.  She just saw a hunched-over figure in a gray sweat suit running away.

 

“I was trying to figure out what to do to protect myself first of all, because I didn’t know if it was one of these shootouts where somebody just goes shooting,” said Antonissen.

 

She said something inside her told her to just stand still and keep quiet, so that’s what she did.  For a minute, she was the only one standing in the parking lot.  Then, two men came out of a nearby building to see what had happened.

 

Someone called the police, who showed up just a few minutes later to take a statement from Antonissen and investigate the shooting.

 

Antonissen later found out a woman who worked out of a Loomis armored car had been shot in the shoulder and was in critical condition.  That’s when she realized how fortunate she was to be ok.

 

“It’s 8:30, 8:40 in the morning. For someone to have done that, they could do anything,” said Antonissen. “If he saw me standing there, just looking at him, and he had a gun, he might’ve thought, well she just witnessed it, and that could’ve been very dangerous.”

 

Three days after the shooting, police and FBI agents are still looking for the shooter.  A $20,000 reward is offered for information that leads to his arrest.

 

The condition of the victim, 47 year old Lakeda Duncan, is unknown.  At last check she was in critical condition with life threatening injuries.

 

Antonissen said she’s praying for Duncan every day, as she thanks God for her own blessings.

 

“I definitely have belief in God, and I feel like that morning He was protecting me,” she said. “It wasn’t my time.”

Raleigh, NC Woman Attacks Home Intruder with Bedpost

From www.wbtv.com, January 25, 2012 by Chris Dyshes

RALEIGH, NC (WBTV/WRAL) – A Raleigh woman says she was getting into the shower when a man came into her house, and she had to defend herself with a bedpost.

According to WRAL-TV, Victoria Jones was undressing to take a shower earlier this month when she saw the man walking down the hallway.

Jones was home with her 10-year-old sister and 9-year-old son at the time.

She says the first thing she saw was the wooden bedpost and she “nailed him” with it, WRAL reports.

“What I am scared of is about what could have happened, and that’s why I gave it all I had,” Jones said. “I didn’t know what his plans were and what would happen to my kids if I didn’t do the best I could to get him out of here.”

The incident happened on January 13.

Police told WRAL  that Jones’ sister ran to a neighbor’s house for help after the man came into the home.

“We were just playing with the dog, and he just walked in,” Massey said. “I was thinking, ‘What if I screamed, and he could have did something to me and my nephew, and then my life would have been over.”

Jones says after she hit the man with her bedpost, she chased him down the hall where she took one final swing.

“I hit him that one last time, and he just went out cold,” she told WRAL.

That’s when Jones says her neighbors got to the house and they held the man until police could get there.

Forty-year-old Lucio Miranda was charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree possession of stolen goods by police in Raleigh.

Lucio Miranda, 40. (Photo source: WRAL.com)

He was reportedly found with the keys to Jones’ car in his pocket.

Officers transported Miranda to the hospital to be treated for injuries he received during the bedpost beating. He reportedly suffered a black eye, a broken ankle and an injury to his head.

He was then booked in the Wake County jail and is being held on a $108,000 bond.

$20,000 Reward Offered After Armored Car Employee Shot in Robbery

From www.wbtv.com By Chris Dyches, Web Content Producer, January 25, 2012

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – Federal investigators are offering a big reward for information after a female armored truck employee was shot during an armed robbery in the SouthPark area.

According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, Loomis employees were robbed at the Foxcroft Shopping Center early Monday morning, just before 9 a.m.

Police say 47-year-old Ladena Duncan, of Charlotte, was seriously wounded when she shot in the upper arm while she was working on a Wells Fargo ATM at the shopping center.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, witnesses describe the robber as a black male, 15-25 years old, with a small build.

He was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, black t-shirt, grey sweatpants, black Nike shoes with a white stripe, and a baseball cap with a silver sticker on the brim. He had a white glove on his right hand; it can be seen in surveillance video as he runs away with a gun in his hand, investigators say.

To view the FBI Wanted Poster for this crime use this link:

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/alert/unknown-suspect/view

The location is a small group of stores at Fairview and Valencia Terrace, including Caribou Coffee, where a man walked from last year and was later killed along a neighborhood street. (Click here to read that story)

After Duncan was shot Loomis employees tried to drive her to the hospital, but they stopped along the way and called for medical help.

According to MEDIC, emergency officials were called to the intersection of Providence Road and Cavendish Court, nearly two miles away from the shooting.  Duncan was transported to Carolina Medical Center with serious injuries.

Police say Charlotte County Day School, which is in the area, was on lock down for about an hour as a precaution during this incident.

On Tuesday, the FBI Charlotte Division announced that it was offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information which leads to the identification and successful prosecution of the person responsible for the robbery.

The FBI is investigating this robbery and shooting in partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.  Anyone with information should call FBI Charlotte at 704-672-6100 or the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. 

Flying Biscuit Could Face Penalty for Hiring a Felon After Deadly Stabbing

From www.wbtv.com By Chris Dyches, Web Content Producer, January 25, 2012

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – Owners of a restaurant where a pregnant woman was killed nearly two weeks ago could face a penalty for hiring a convicted felon – the co-worker accused of stabbing the 25-year-old manager to death.

Danielle Watson was a manager at the Flying Biscuit on Rea Road only a few weeks when she was fatally stabbed during a robbery January 13th.

Police arrested her co-worker, Mark Cox, and charged him with the murder. Cox will also likely face a murder charge for the death of Watson’s unborn baby. She was only a couple months pregnant.

The 22-year-old was already a convicted a felon three times over. In one case, he robbed his own co-workers at gunpoint at another restaurant during closing time.

Wednesday, state Alcohol Law Enforcement agents said they plan to cite the restaurant owners for hiring a convicted felon. State law prohibits establishments with a permit to serve alcohol from hiring someone who’s been convicted of a felony within the last three years.

The ABC Commission will review the violation. In his report, the ALE agent said the restaurant’s owner said a criminal background check was never done on Cox.

A criminal background check is not technically required by state law, except in some select jobs. However, the general statue which deals with permitting businesses to serve alcohol does place responsibility with the employer.

“During the short time Mark Cox was employed by the Flying Biscuit Cafe he performed his responsibilities accordingly and was trusted by his co-workers,” owner Hugh Bigham said in a statement to WBTV on Wednesday.

“During the interview process, Cox acknowledged a previous conviction. He was given a chance and initially hired on a trial basis. There are many victims of this horrible tragedy but our primary focus today, and going forward, is helping the family of Danielle Watson. Danielle was a wonderful person and her death is a terrible loss to all of us.”

The Flying Biscuit owners have said they plan to create a permanent memorial to the slain manager.
Watson’s fiancé, Keith Smith, has said Watson had no idea she was working with a convicted felon.

Cox worked in the kitchen. He landed the job a few weeks after finishing a three-year prison sentence.

Police say they found bloody clothes and a butcher knife in Cox’s apartment. He lived within walking distance from the restaurant. His sister told police he confessed to the crime.

The restaurant could face a warning or fine, depending on the ABC Commission’s findings.

CMPD Officers Receiving New Tasers

From The Charlotte Observer By Meghan Cooke, January 25, 2012

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are putting Tasers back into officers’ hands today, six months after use of the weapons was suspended following the death of a 21-year-old suspect.

In September, the Charlotte City Council voted to spend $1.83 million for 1,600 Taser X2 stun guns. Police says the new Tasers have safety features to prevent officers from possibly injuring or killing suspects.

Taser X2

The Taser X2 will replace the model previously used by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the X26 Taser.

The Taser X2, produced by Arizona-based Taser International, has a five-second limit on each electric charge, a function that makes the device more safe, police have said. Officers using the new Taser can also trigger a visible and audible warning that may convince suspects to comply without evening firing the weapon.

Use of the department’s nearly 1,200 Taser X26 stun guns was suspended on July 21. The day before, police were called to a Lynx light rail station along Old Pineville Road after a report of a man beating and choking a woman. The suspect was identified as Lareko Williams.

The first officer to respond fired his X26 Taser just as Williams was about to strike the woman again, police said. Williams became unresponsive, police said, and the officer called for help. Williams died about an hour later.
Williams’ death came only a day after a federal jury awarded $10 million to the family of Darryl Wayne Turner, the 17-year-old who died after a CMPD officer shocked him with a Taser in 2008. The jury found that Taser International failed to warn that the weapon could cause cardiac arrest. In that case, police said the officer violated policy when he shocked Turner for about 37 seconds. The city of Charlotte denied wrongdoing, but it paid $625,000 to Turner’s family.

After Williams’ death last summer, all of the department’s Tasers were collected from officers, tested and inspected, police said. About a month later, police announced they’d finished a month-long internal review on Taser use but that officers would not carry the devices until a second, outside review was completed.

Then police examined the possibility of purchasing a newer model.

Police Chief Rodney Monroe said last year that Tasers enhance citizen safety by “giving officers a viable option to minimize injuries to themselves and others.”

But the devices, which can discharge 50,000 volts to briefly incapacitate suspects, have been linked to hundreds of deaths across the country. Police in Fayetteville suspended their use of Tasers last year after a 56-year-old man died while officers tried to subdue him with one.

 

Top 15 Killers of Americans: Homicides Are Off the List, Even Though More People are Carrying Guns Than Ever Before

From The Buckeye Firearms Association by Chad D. Baus, January 19, 2012

CNN.com is reporting that while the leading killers of Americans continue to be non-infectious diseases like heart disease, strokes and lung diseases, one of the perpetual causes of death fell off the top 15 list this year:

Homicides.

From the article:

“Most of the changes were positive,” said Sherry Murphy, a statistician at the National Center of Health Statistics and one of the authors of the annual mortality report. “Homicides fell from among the 15 leading causes for the first time since 1965.”

Even as this news was breaking, news outlets across the country were reporting that sales of firearms had spiked to new highs during the Christmas shopping season. What’s more, thanks to passage of concealed carry laws in more states, and to improvements of those laws in states that have existing laws, more Americans are exercising their Second Amendment rights by legally carrying concealed handguns than at any time in our nation’s history.

If guns are tools of destruction designed only for killing, as those in the gun ban lobby claim, this good news could never have happened.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.