North Carolina officials set the bonds for serial Durham criminals at $5 million after being charged with a fatal, disabled driving collision that killed a school teacher and injured a Down Syndrome adoptive child.
Nathan Blackmon, 42, is charged with felony death in a vehicle, felony injury in a vehicle, felony possession of drugs, and January death of Dawn Tucker, 67, and simple possession of drugs in connection with his son, 34, Joey Tucker.
“Dawn welcomed Joey as a foster parent when he was 20 months old. Their bond grew stronger and later adopted him, becoming not only his mother, but his most intense advocate and supporter,” Dawn Tucker’s obituary states. “Her love and dedication to Joey with Down syndrome was constantly unwavering.”
The obituary further explains that the 67-year-old mother has “fortunate spirit and a caring heart.”
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Dawn Tucker, 67, died in a car accident in January after being hit by a disabled driver. Her adopted son, 34-year-old Joey Tucker, was injured. (Omega Funeral Service & Crematory, LLC)
“She writes unshakable in her defense of those who are ignored, silenced or left behind, protesting when necessary, without fear of protesting. “Her sweetness and care for others were matched only by her firm resolve to become part of the movement of people, in order to make the world a better, kinder and safer place for all. She has changed the lives of countless people as teachers, friends and family.
“She has changed the lives of countless people as a teacher, friends and family.”
Before the fatal collision, Blackmon had been in and out of the Durham County Jail for 20 years, but his first charges stemmed from a 2001 theft case. He has been charged with dozens of crimes over the past 24 years, pleading guilty to many of them, but has consistently returned to his community.
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As years went by, Blackmon seemed brave with his criminal acts.
Natane Blackmon, 42, was charged in connection with the crash that killed Dawn Tucker, and has been in and out of prison in Durham County for more than 20 years. (Durham County)
Over the past 20 years, he has faced a wide range of criminal charges, including assault on women, resistance to civil servants, breaking out, attendance, shoplifting, tricking in emergency communications, arrests, assault on government officials with deadly weapons, reckless driving to danger, and breaching felony guarantees on various traffic and drug-related personnel.
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“It’s not just Durham… it’s a lot of municipalities. These officers risk their lives every day to go out every day and make the community safe for everyone,” Ret. Terry Mikkels, a murder detective at the Durham Police Department, told Fox News Digital, which features the concept of executive security. “They have a very high standard to follow. They need to have a possible cause to be arrested. And they need to show the possible cause again for the magistrate to issue a warrant. And they had to show the probable cause again for the district court judge to bring them into the system.”
“This revolving door must be stopped. These officers must be supported.”
Officers spent hours showing evidence of the offender’s suspected arrest, indicted and detained in court, just to “return to probation,” even if the offender committed a crime, Mikkels explained.
Blackmon was charged with dozens of crimes in Durham County between 2001 and 2025, but was repeatedly released to the community. (Google Maps)
The former officer said this kind of repetitive cycle for repeated offenders has become a “normal protocol.”
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“I’ve been working murders for years. People tend to go from peek-out Tom to attack women and escalate. That’s the same thing. Property crimes, whether it’s a drug. Mikkels said. “We put you in prison and there’s a penalty for what you’re doing. And the real crux of the matter is, when you’re in prison, what do you guess? You’re not committing a crime anymore.”
To make the issue even more complicated, the Durham Police Department, like many others across the country, is dealing with a critical shortage of personnel. Police have faded when dealing with emergencies, and “we’re dealing with the same guys over and over again,” he said.
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Durham Police referred Fox News Digital to the Durham District Attorney’s Office.
Blackmon’s official defender Monica Burnett could not be reached for comment.
