UPDATED 4:17 WITH RESPONSE FROM DUKE A Durham judge ruled this morning on the preliminary injunction case of Lewis McLeod, a Duke senior who was expelled for sexual misconduct three days before his final exams last month, even though he was never criminally charged. Both sides are claiming partial victory. This morning, after a four-day […]
John H. Tucker
Bio: John H. Tucker is a staff writer for INDY Week.Email: [email protected]: http://twitter.com/JH_Tucker
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Durham DA will appeal judge’s order overturning 1991 double-murder conviction
The Durham district attorney’s office filed notice yesterday to appeal a recent order by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando F. Hudson Jr. overturning the conviction of Darryl Howard, who is currently serving an 80-year prison sentence for the 1991 double-murder of a mother and daughter. In his order earlier this week, Hudson ruled that […]
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Durham murder conviction overturned
A Durham judge has overturned the conviction of Darryl Anthony Howard, who in 1995 was found guilty of a double-murder. Howard, who has spent the last 19 years in prison, is effectively serving a life sentence. The case made recent national headlines when it was suggested that former District Attorney Mike Nifong, along with a […]
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A Duke senior sues the university after being expelled over allegations of sexual misconduct
Inside a Durham courtroom last week, a Duke University student, dressed in a crisp suit and tie, shifted uncomfortably in the witness stand. For a day and a half, 23-year-old Lewis McLeod had faced sharp questioning by a Duke lawyer alleging him of sexual misconduct with an 18-year-old freshman last fall at the Sigma Nu […]
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A Tragedy Changes how High School Wrestling is Officiated in North Carolina
They say you’re a little closer to God on Saddle Mountain. Soaring 2,770 feet above sea level in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, it owes its name to the two curved peaks, where the Divine is thought to nestle. At its base rests a town called Sparta, a foresting-and-farming community of 1,800 people. The town […]
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Criminal justice: tough love
While new criminal justice bills will likely be introduced this session, these measures, left over from 2013, could be revived. Senate Bill 594, Require drug testing for Work First benefits: This bill would require drug screening for applicants and recipients of the Work First program, which gives low-income people employment training and other help so […]
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N.C. Supreme Court to hear case about mandatory life sentences for teenage murderers
Freeze, give me all your money!” Inside a convenience store in Lexington, N.C., in 1997, 16-year-old Sethy Seam watched his friend Freddie Van pull out a .22-caliber pistol and point it at the manager. Van demanded cash. A fight ensued, and Van shot the manager, killing him. Seam and Van tried to open the register, […]
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In North Carolina, a third child dies from accidental gun shooting this month
The Durham Police Department announced this morning that a 9-year-old boy was fatally shot last night inside his North Durham home, and that the shooting was accidental, involving multiple juveniles. If true, that would mark the third accidental shooting this month resulting in the death of a North Carolina child. Last week, Fayetteville police charged […]
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NC Supreme Court: to avoid felony charge, arrestees must cough up drugs voluntarily
The N.C. Supreme Court has ruled that individuals brought into jails involuntarily are nevertheless responsible for drugs in their possession. The opinion essentially states that law enforcement officers are not required to explicitly warn arrestees that possessing drugs inside jails is a felony. Last month in our story “A pot to piss in” we reported […]
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Drug program in jeopardy for pregnant women
Awaking in a haze, the first thing she noticed was the camera, pointing at her. She wore different clothes and nail polish, and her long black hair was painted with silver streaks. Bags of shoes and jewelry sat next to her, along with a jar stuffed with $300. This was in 1998. Katrina Robinson was […]
