Press Releases

The State of North Carolina and FEMA have approved more than $25.9 million to reimburse the North Carolina Department of Transportation for Hurricane Florence-related debris removal and road repair costs. More than $23.1 million covers the removal of hurricane-related debris in Beaufort, Bladen, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Harnett, Jones, Lenoir, Pamlico, Pitt and Robeson counties. A combined total of than 192,900 tons of hurricane-related debris was cleared from NCDOT roads and public property.

An offender housed at Caldwell Correctional Center who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. “His death is saddening, and we are continuing our efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody remains our top priority.”

State prison officials have completed COVID-19 tests of all offenders in state prisons and the results show 2.1 percent were positive for the virus in a six-week mass testing operation. Of the 29,062 offenders who were tested during mass testing, a total of 619 tested positive. This positivity percentage of 2.1 percent is much lower than in prison systems in other states.

An offender who tested positive for COVID-19 at Lumberton Correctional Institution has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by the virus. This is the ninth coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison.  “His death is a sad event, and we are continuing to work hard to limit the spread as much as possible and reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody is priority one.”

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Dwayne Baker as the new warden of the Davidson Correctional Center in Lexington. Baker had been the associate warden at the facility since 2014.

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Larry Godwin as the new warden of the Rutherford Correctional Center in Spindale. Godwin had been the deputy warden at the facility since 2015.

The State of North Carolina and FEMA have approved more than $10.5 million to reimburse Onslow County Schools for Hurricane Florence-related expenses.  Funds cover removing immediate safety threats at public elementary, middle and high schools throughout the county. Actions included installing temporary roofs at schools following storm-related damage, mold remediation and air quality testing.   

Offender Christopher Watson (#0876848) died Tuesday evening at Scotland Correctional Institution after an apparent suicide. He was found unresponsive in his cell at 7:40 p.m. Prison medical staff and local paramedics responded and performed life-saving measures in attempts to resuscitate the offender. Watson was pronounced dead at 8:23 p.m. by the county medical examiner’s office. DPS officials and local law enforcement are investigating the incident.

Over a span of 48 hours, state and local authorities raided seven locations in Greensboro, arresting 18 individuals on 172 charges and seizing illegal guns, drugs and cash. ALE, assisted by the Greensboro Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the N.C. National Guard, concluded a months-long investigation into numerous locations where alcohol was being sold illegally. Through the course of the investigation, special agents found individuals were manufacturing and distributing illegal controlled substances, primarily fentanyl. 

Following an ALE investigation, a Fayetteville restaurant’s ABC permits have been suspended due to a history of violence and a recent shooting which left three hospitalized.  Early on July 18, 2020, ALE special agents and Fayetteville police officers responded to Jamaican Vibez to find numerous gunshot victims and more than 60 spent shell casings in the parking lot. Authorities discovered the shooting stemmed from a physical confrontation inside the bar.