CHARLOTTE — In their quarterly report made this week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department mentioned repeat offenders as one of the main drivers of violent crime in Mecklenburg County.
Police provided multiple examples, and some residents say they want to see change.
Charles Robinson has lived in the Sugar Creek Corridor for most of his life. He says crime there has gotten out of control, especially on Reagan Drive. He says the people committing crimes have been going through a revolving door.
“I’ve done court support before with moms who have lost their children, along with my wife,” Robinson told Channel 9’s Eli Brand. “Some of the murderers had so many other charges, and they were said to be menaces to society.”
CMPD data shows 60% of people arrested this year for committing a violent crime had a prior charge.
They mentioned a 15-year-old who had been arrested 111 times since August of 2023. The arrests included 55 car thefts and stealing from cars 45 times.
At one point, police found multiple guns on the teen and took a phone as evidence. They say they found various Google searches on it, including questions about killing an officer and capitol murder.
Police say the 15-year-old was most recently released again in September.
“They can’t just say we’re going to let you back out to your mom or to your home if the home is broken without holding the home accountable,” Robinson said. “There is no accountability right now.”
CMPD says the repeat offender problem also extends to adults.
Timothy Massey has faced multiple charges this year and given bond for all of them. One included possession of a weapon of mass destruction which allegedly ended up being an altered pistol that could fire automatically.
Most recently, he’s accused of shooting into motel rooms and cars on Reagan Drive just steps from where Robinson says problems persist. He was given a $50,000 bond.
“You’ve got a court system that is letting everybody out as soon as they lock them up, so what’s the point of having a court system if you’re just going to let everybody go?,” Robinson said.
CMPD says a conversation needs to be had about judge and magistrate decisions when it comes to refining standards on pre-trial release.
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