Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who is now a Democratic candidate for the Senate, is facing harsh criticism after reports revealed that hundreds of inmates released during his administration—under a COVID-19 related agreement—were rearrested on new charges within two years. This criticism comes as Cooper is in a close race with Republican Michael Whatley, which could impact the control of the Senate. A Cooper campaign spokesperson dismissed the allegations, labeling them as “blatant Republican lies,” and pointed out that Cooper had fought against the releases in court. Moreover, they noted that during former President Trump’s time in office, many inmates were also released due to the pandemic.
A review by Fox News Digital of data from the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission indicated that over 560 inmates released under the Cooper administration faced new criminal charges within two years. The agreement permitted the release of about 3,500 prisoners over a 180-day period from February through August 2021. One notable case involved Tyrell Blais, who was charged with first-degree murder after being released early; he had prior convictions including assault and theft.
Another inmate, Daron Owens, got a 10-year federal sentence for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after a drive-by shooting occurred months after his release. Owens was also released a month earlier than planned. Whatley expressed fury over Cooper’s actions, saying the former governor had failed to keep communities safe and questioning why dangerous criminals were allowed back on the streets.
The mass inmate releases resulted from a lawsuit initiated in 2020 by various groups including the NAACP, which argued that pandemic-related prison overcrowding posed an unconstitutional risk to inmates. Although plaintiffs initially sought the release of more prisoners, the state settled in early 2021, agreeing to measures that led to the release of thousands.
Criticism from Republicans labeled this as one of the largest mass prisoner releases in the country, despite the Cooper administration claiming the focus was on nonviolent offenders. Some released inmates, however, had serious criminal backgrounds involving violent offenses.
Among a sample group of 1,180 released prisoners, approximately 566—nearly half—were later arrested on new charges, with about 20 percent leading to convictions. For instance, Jimmy Speight was released early for indecency with a child and later received a 32-year sentence for second-degree murder. Another released inmate, Kishuan Norrell, who had a manslaughter conviction, was also sentenced to life for first-degree murder.
Whatley and his campaign representatives further accused Cooper of being responsible for deaths attributable to these releases. Notably, the National Republican Senatorial Committee also denounced Cooper’s actions, emphasizing the perceived danger associated with his policies.
Cooper’s campaign responded robustly, denying the allegations and asserting that the charges against him were false. They highlighted that Cooper’s approach was consistent with actions taken under Trump, where similar inmate releases occurred during the pandemic.
Amid broader scrutiny of crime in North Carolina, specifically high-profile murder cases, allegations have surfaced claiming that DeCarlos Brown, charged with the murder of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zalutka, might be one of the individuals released under Cooper’s agreement. Cooper refuted this assertion as a “lie,” stating that Brown had a history of arrests and was serving time for an armed robbery before being released in September 2020.
