Prosecutor won’t charge security officer in college shooting
DURHAM — Prosecutors won’t bring charges against a security officer who shot and killed a North Carolina college student.
WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported Friday that Durham District Attorney Satana Deberry found no evidence to support charges against 41-year-old guard Lavar Mitchell in the death of 23-year-old DeAndre Ballard, a student at North Carolina Central University.
Ballard died Sept. 17 of gunshot wounds he sustained at the Campus Crossings student apartment complex in Durham. Ballard, who worked for N.C. Detective Agency, said he was acting in self-defense.
Ballard’s uncle told the station it’s “unbelievable” that the case won’t be presented to the grand jury and questioned the thoroughness of the investigation.
NC Bank of America tower to be sold in record-breaking deal
CHARLOTTE — A North Carolina developer says it’s agreed to purchase Bank of America’s new tower in Charlotte in what would be the most expensive office building sale in the state’s history.
The Charlotte Observer reports Raleigh-based Highwoods Properties is expected to close the $436 million deal in November as they move into the Charlotte market.
Developer Lincoln Harris and partner Goldman Sachs bought the site for $37.5 million in 2016. Bank of America employees started moving into the 33-story tower last week. Its headquarters remains in another building a few blocks away.
Real estate firm CBRE says the 2016 sale of One Wells Fargo Center in Charlotte for $284 million is the largest office building transaction in the state. But the tower sale would take that place if it goes through.
Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com
Couple accused of alleged purchasing scheme Fort Bragg
RALEIGH — A married couple has been indicted on accusations they received illegal cash and gifts from vendors as the husband worked as a purchasing agent at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in eastern North Carolina announced Friday grand jury indictments against Morris and Beverley Cooper of Fayetteville.
The prosecutor’s office says Morris Cooper bought heating and air conditioning parts for Fort Bragg. The indictment says at least $978,000 in gross proceeds were received over several years through steering contracts to vendors and inflating supply prices.
Morris Cooper is charged with bribery, while he and his wife are both accused of conspiring to steal government property and aiding and abetting each other in the scheme.
Phone calls to the Coopers’ home went unanswered Friday.
Trump: I’ll visit North Carolina for congressional candidate
CHARLOTTE — President Donald Trump says he’ll campaign in North Carolina for the Republican nominee in a special election for the country’s last unfilled congressional seat from the 2018 races.
Trump tweeted he would soon come to the state for a “big rally” for state legislator Dan Bishop of Charlotte, who’s running for the 9th Congressional District against Democrat Dan McCready and two others. Thursday’s tweet didn’t given an exact rally date or location. The general election is Sept. 10.
A 9th District election was held last November, but state officials ordered a redo after an investigation found evidence of fraud involving the collection of mail-in ballots. The Republican who ran last year didn’t run again.
The congressional seat — covering several south-central counties — has been empty this year.
NC sewage service investigates E. coli contamination report
ASHEVILLE — A North Carolina sewage agency is investigating reports of a sizeable leak that may have pumped E. coli bacteria into a creek.
The Asheville Citizen Times reports the leak was discovered in Asheville’s Reed Creek Wednesday. An environmental group sampled the water and says it registered E. coli readings much higher than normal.
Ken Stines of Buncombe County’s Metropolitan Sewerage District said his organization has a team investigating the leak. Stines noted it may not be as large as the environmental group described, but official results are pending.
Stines said the leak could be caused by a sewer line back up, and MSD has identified a possible source.
The newspaper says Reed Creek eventually flows into a popular wading spot. No swim advisories have been issued yet.
Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com
Friends, supporters to celebrate NC’s man
GREENVILLE — Friends and supporters of North Carolina man freed after spending more than half his life in prison for a murder he didn’t commit are holding a celebration.
Friends of Dontae Sharpe are gathering Friday afternoon at Philippi Church of Christ in Greenville. Various advocacy groups are holding the event for the 44-year-old Sharpe, who was freed Thursday.
Sharpe was serving a life sentence for the 1994 murder of 33-year-old George Radcliffe during a drug deal in Greenville. A judge ordered a new trial after an evidentiary hearing Thursday in Pitt County court. Prosecutors then said they wouldn’t pursue a retrial, and Sharpe was released.
The NAACP advocated for the release Sharpe, who says he rejected lighter sentences that required him to admit guilt.
Uniformed head of North Carolina National Guard to retire
RALEIGH — The top military leader of the North Carolina National Guard is soon leaving the post he’s held most of this decade.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced this week that Major Gen. Greg Lusk is retiring this winter. Lusk has been a North Carolina guardsman for 40 years and was appointed the guard’s 40th adjutant general in 2010.
Lusk leads nearly 12,000 uniformed service members and 1,800 federal and state employees. The guard’s most high-profile role occurs when it responds to North Carolina natural disasters like hurricanes. Lusk said in a statement that he was also proud of guard soldiers and airmen serving on deployments around the world.
Cooper’s office, the Department of Public Safety and guard leadership will start the process to identify a qualified replacement for the post.
N. Carolina teen charged in death of boy who fell from truck
MOORESVILLE — A high school football player in North Carolina has been charged in the death of a teammate who fell from the back of a pickup truck and hit his head.
News outlets report the 17-year-old Mooresville High School senior is charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. Authorities didn’t immediately release his identity. Officials say 15-year-old Gavin Sharpe fell from the truck this month while working on a service project at the school’s football stadium.
Mooresville police declined to say if the vehicle was moving. Sharpe died from his injuries days later.
Police are investigating. Sharpe’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader, Doug Sheley, says two other teens also fell off the truck. It’s unclear if they were injured or whether anyone else in the truck faces charges in Sharpe’s death.