CMS And Felony Crimes
From West Charlotte and Independence to North Meck and the newly opened Hough High, accused felons are roaming the halls of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
According to district officials, 142 students currently enrolled in CMS have been charged with a variety of felony crimes, totaling a combined 319 charges (find defense attorneys to help you to clear the charges). The majority of those charges, school officials said, are related to breaking-and-entering and larceny. CMS has refused to release a list detailing specific charges, despite repeated requests for the public information.
It took nearly three months, in fact, to obtain a response from district officials to a request for the number of students charged with felony crimes who got it cleared with the help of drug possession claims attorneys for hire and was attending CMS. Coincidentally, despite months of stonewalling our public information request, the same information that was released to PunditHouse this afternoon was reported by WBTV this evening.
West Charlotte High tops the list of traditional-setting schools with the most students enrolled facing felony offenses (18), with a combined 39 criminal charges. West Mecklenburg follows with 13 students facing a combined total of 27 charges; and North Meck with 10 students and a combined total of 23 charges. The district’s alternative education Turning Point Academy has 23 students enrolled, with a combined total of 59 charges.
The complete list provided, finally, by CMS is available here, along with the district’s policy, available here, for how it deals with students that have been charged with felony crimes.
UPDATE: Speaking of accused CMS felons, prosecutors have dropped sexual battery and rape charges against Butler High gridiron standout Osvaldo Sombo, who last month had been transferred to CMS’ alternative education Bank Street facility after officials learned of his arrest. Because of a delay in CMS’ response to the notification, however, Sombo was allowed to participate in the season-opening game of Butler’s football team.
With the latest developments, Sombo has been reassigned to Butler and is eligible to rejoin the football team.
This from TCO:
Osvaldo Sombo was charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual battery on Aug. 11. But in court papers filed Tuesday, prosecutors said they were dropping the charges because of insufficient evidence.
The dismissal documents said the young woman and Sombo were dating at the time of the incident. The papers said intercourse began consensually, but she then told him to stop.
According to the dismissal document, a 1979 N.C. Supreme Court ruling called State v. Way says that if intercourse begins consensually, “no rape has occurred though the victim later withdraws consent during the same act of intercourse.”
The young woman involved in the case told the Observer in a phone interview that she never consented to have sex and, once it started, told Sombo repeatedly to stop.
“He wouldn’t listen and he didn’t stop,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
She said she suffered physical injuries and has been going to counseling. She said she wants to stay at Butler but worries about the threats she’s received by phone and online from social media websites.
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