Republicans Call for Magistrate Judge’s Removal as Outrage Intensifies over Charlotte Train Stabbing

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Left: Decarlos Brown poses in an undated jail booking photograph taken in Charlotte, N.C. Right: Iryna Zarutska in an undated picture.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via Reuters, Iryna Zarutska via Instagram/via Reuters

North Carolina Republicans are demanding the removal of Mecklenburg County Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes after she presided over DeCarlos Brown Jr.’s January release despite his well-documented history of mental illness and criminal, violent behavior.

Stokes’s decision to release Brown was made only months before the heinous stabbing of Iryna Zarutska. Stokes is facing immense backlash online and from North Carolina Republicans for her part in releasing Brown back in January, after he was charged with misuse of 911. The charge stemmed from an incident at a local hospital in which Brown was behaving erratically and bystanders called the police. When officers arrived, Brown informed them that a “man-made substance” was controlling his body from within. Unhappy with the officers’ response, Brown called 911 and promptly hung up, resulting in the misuse of 911 charge.

Kamden Mulder

About the Author

Kamden Mulder

Kamden Mulder is a William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism. She is a graduate of Hillsdale College.

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