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252bbb51-99e8-4c03-8925-e2080ac455d8 #46, Closing the Gap, through Chicken March 29, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin recently suffered a cardiac arrest on the football field. Thousands in the arena and millions of people watching the game televised live saw him collapse. Fortunately, first responders and athletic trainers, who had immediate access to an automated external defibrillator (AED), administered medical attention to Mr. Hamlin. Using their skills and this vital technology, they successfully saved his life. Approximately 350,000 people suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year in the United States. A person’s chance of survival decreases by 10% every minute without intervention following cardiac arrest. Away from the resource-rich world of professional football, it takes, on average, seven minutes for a first responder to arrive on scene. When your life hangs in the balance, that is a long gap. Fewer than 10% of people who have a cardiac arrest in the community survive long enough, as Hamlin did, to later be discharged from the hospital. Sadly, this grim statistic has remained largely unchanged during the last 30 years. I do not believe Mr. Hamlin would have had such a successful outcome if he had to wait seven or more minutes for an AED. In 2019, I purchased 16 AEDs with the goal of eventually having one in all our patrol vehicles and in each Orange County public school. In ensuing years, I purchased several more. My office now owns 61 of these units. However, in May 2022, I realized our local counterparts in the municipal police departments do not have AEDs in all of their units on patrol. As the chief law enforcement officer in Orange County, I started working to change that. In partnership with Kaitlin Strauss of the UNC Health Foundation and UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, we plan to purchase additional AED units, aiming to close the gap between when a cardiac event takes place and when effective, life-saving aid can be delivered. I am grateful they share my vision. Our goal is to bring the total to 110 AEDs in law-enforcement hands throughout Orange County. We also plan to provide an additional 10 units to the South Orange Rescue Squad. At a cost of $1,500.00 each, achieving our goal is expensive; however, I am laser-focused. An AED in every patrol vehicle in the county will be a game-changer. With multiple defibrillators in circulation at all times, ready to be deployed through our existing emergency-service infrastructure, Sheriff’s deputies, police officers, and first responders throughout the county will have a greater chance of reaching victims with this critical technology in time to intervene successfully. To support this very ambitious undertaking, two groups, the Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Organization (SOCO) and the Timeless Cruizers Car Club, are busy planning our upcoming Chicken Pickin’ fundraiser with members of our Community Service Division. We are excited to resume this tradition after several COVID cancellations. SOCO is a 501(c)(3) organization, able to receive tax-deductible contributions. Founded many years ago by my predecessor, SOCO has a long history of providing significant funding to our office for special initiatives. For example, SOCO purchases much of the Lifetrack equipment we use to protect vulnerable seniors and others at risk of wandering away from caregivers. SOCO also purchases Officer Down Trauma kits and ballistic vests for our K9s. SOCO members also assist us with our popular Shop with the Sheriff event in December. Although many SOCO members are graduates of our Citizens’ Academy, we welcome anyone with an interest in our office and a willingness to help the community. The Timeless Cruizers Car Club is another valuable community partner. They generously support the fundraiser by donating the chicken. Members of both clubs will assist us on April 19 with our all-hands-on-deck event. We will barbeque chicken and package meals for pick-up in front of our new detention center on Highway 70. Deputies, members of the office, and volunteers will be in the community selling $10 tickets through April 7. If you prefer, you can come by the office at 106 E. Margaret Lane in Hillsborough to purchase them. Meals include chicken, green beans, potatoes, and a roll. Order 10 plates or more for your family, neighborhood, or office, and we will provide free delivery on April 19 to anywhere within Orange County or to supportive areas nearby. The Chicken Pickin’ is a pre-order only event. We also appreciate tax-deductible donations. Despite the labor-intensive nature of such an ambitious undertaking, the Chicken Pickin’ is always a fun event. Please call Lt. Daniel Roberson at (919) 245-2921 if you would like to buy tickets, donate funds, or volunteer. Help us purchase and circulate more life-saving AED devices throughout Orange County. Let’s close the gap! Previous Next

A twelve-month running archive of the Orange County Sheriff's Office monthly newsletter, The Lowdown. The Lowdown Archive May 27, 2026 #84, Anatomy of a DWI “Don’t drink and drive.” If you asked 100 people whether those words are good advice, I wager all would agree. The statistical relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and crash risk is well established and ranks among the most replicated findings in traffic safety research. However, it is deeply disturbing that North Carolina law enforcement officers arrested 14,655 people for driving while impaired (DWI) in 2024. A law enforcement officer in North Carolina must prove three essential elements beyond a reasonable doubt to secure a DWI conviction. The defendant must drive or operate a vehicle on a street, highway, or in a public vehicular area while impaired. A person meets this last element if he or she is under the influence of any impairing substance ─ including prescription drugs or marijuana ─ that causes an appreciable loss of normal bodily or mental faculties. A person is also impaired if he or she has a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher, or any amount of a Schedule I controlled substance or its metabolites in the blood or urine. Although many people are aware of the 0.08 percent BAC limit, they may not understand the corresponding degree of impairment. A standard drink is five ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor, or a 12-ounce beer. An average-sized man may reach a 0.08 percent BAC after consuming four to five standard drinks within a single hour. Meanwhile, it might take only three to four drinks for a woman. Please note these are broad generalizations. Some people are significantly impaired with a lower BAC, and others may appear to function well despite consuming a higher number of standard drinks. Regardless, with a 0.08 percent BAC, a person is considered legally impaired ─ drunk, and not merely buzzed. Accordingly, he or she experiences slower reaction time, poor coordination, and diminished judgment, all of which are necessary for safely operating a vehicle. We aim to remove impaired drivers from Orange County roads, as we see too many preventable alcohol-related tragedies. Fortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration established six categories of visual clues to help law enforcement officers identify drivers who may be drunk. For example, if a motorist has trouble maintaining proper lane position, demonstrated by weaving, swerving, or almost striking another object, the probability that the driver’s BAC exceeds 0.08 ranges between 50 and 70 percent. If a deputy observes multiple clues or clues from more than one category, the likelihood that the driver is impaired increases. After observing clues and conducting a traffic stop, the officer asks for the driver’s license and registration and likely directs the driver to exit the vehicle. Drivers must comply with such requests; however, they retain other rights, such as remaining silent or requesting legal counsel. A deputy suspecting impairment usually asks the driver to perform standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs) to evaluate the person’s condition. Although the driver can refuse, the magistrate may use such a refusal as an indicator that weighs in favor of establishing probable cause to arrest. SFSTs include looking for specific involuntary eye movements, the walk-and-turn test, and a one-leg stand. Again, the more clues a driver exhibits, the higher the probability the BAC is above a 0.08 percent. If the deputy still believes the person is appreciably impaired, he or she will transport the driver to the Intoxilyzer, an instrument that measures blood alcohol concentration through breath analysis. If a driver refuses to blow, he or she faces immediate revocation of driving privileges, and the deputy will ask a magistrate to grant a search warrant to draw the defendant’s blood. The blood draw occurs by force if necessary and may reveal the presence of additional impairing substances. Generally, upon finding that the deputy had probable cause to make the arrest, a magistrate may allow a first-time offender to sign a written promise to appear in court and leave the detention center with a sober adult. The wheels of justice turn slowly. It can take between six months and two years for a DWI case to reach final disposition. Along the way, the consequences add up and include embarrassment and inconvenience. The total cost generally ranges between $10,000 and $17,000 which may include court and legal fees, an alcohol assessment, increased insurance premiums, lost work time, the costs of alternate transportation, and more. These figures skyrocket if the defendant crashed or injured anyone. There are many options cheaper than a lawyer, safer than a crash, and better for your future. I’ll therefore end where I began. Don’t drink and drive. ### Read More April 29, 2026 #83, Discretion is a Two-Way Street Why do we give some people a warning and others a ticket for speeding? If marijuana is illegal in North Carolina, why aren’t we arresting and charging someone in possession of a small amount for personal use? How do deputies decide? Law enforcement officers have discretion in most situations. For example: I recently pulled over a driver after she passed me going 110 miles per hour. When I approached her car, I saw the passenger writhing in pain. While I knew the driver had broken the law, I now understood why. I escorted her to the hospital rather than sending her to traffic court. Our general policy is to seize and destroy small amounts of marijuana but not to charge the person with a crime. Although people legally use marijuana recreationally in many states, in North Carolina, possession of a small amount of the drug is a Class 3 misdemeanor and typically results in a fine with no jail time. Taking someone to the magistrate’s office for that offense is a significant drain on a deputy’s time. It is more important for us to remain on patrol, responding to true public safety emergencies. Other jurisdictions in North Carolina make different choices and will arrest for any amount of marijuana. Communities set their own priorities. We choose to focus on drug traffickers moving large quantities of illegal substances—not those who might smoke a joint now and then. There are also times when the law removes discretion. Under N.C.G.S. §50B-2, if a deputy has probable cause to believe someone has violated a protective order, he or she SHALL make a warrantless arrest. Shall is a powerful word. Where most laws give deputies authority, not a mandate to act, this one requires a specific action—even if the officer believes another course might be more appropriate. In these cases, the statute also limits the magistrate’s discretion to set the conditions of pretrial release. The alleged offender must be held in the detention center for a 48-hour cooling-off period. Deputies also have no discretion when it comes to the duty to intervene. The Criminal Justice Reform bill, passed in September 2021, addresses the “blue wall of silence.” If a law enforcement officer witnesses a colleague committing what the observing person believes to be an unlawful act, such as the use of excessive force, he or she MUST step in or speak up. Additionally, the law requires the observing officer to report the incident to a superior within 72 hours. Courts have made clear that an officer’s use of discretion must be judged based on the facts and circumstances as they appeared at the time—not what is later learned. Expecting an officer to distinguish a real gun from a toy weapon while standing 50 yards away is not reasonable. Expecting officers on scene to intervene when a fellow officer keeps a knee on a man’s neck for nine minutes is. Likewise, civilians should avoid inserting facts known to them or later discovered into their evaluation of a use-of-force incident. Regardless of whether the officer knew the person was a church deacon, a single father, or a cancer patient, such details have no bearing on whether the officer’s actions were appropriate. Citizens exercise discretion as well. My cell phone number hangs on the wall in the public lobby of the Sheriff’s Office. I put it there because I trust people to know the difference between calling me in the middle of the night for an urgent matter and waking me up seeking a restaurant recommendation. Civilians also exercise discretion when the decide to call law enforcement. Not every unfamiliar situation is a threat, and not every person who “looks out of place” is doing something wrong. Perception is shaped by experience—and sometimes by bias. Calls based on misinterpretation can divert deputies from true emergencies and create unnecessary encounters that escalate tensions rather than resolve them. People should report legitimate concerns promptly, but we all share a responsibility to pause, assess, and ensure that what we are seeing is truly a law enforcement matter before dialing 911. The law does not account for every human circumstance, so we ask deputies to consider situations with judgment, context, and humanity. We deal with people—not just violations on paper. When deputies exercise discretion wisely, and when people extend it thoughtfully in return, trust grows, deputies are more effective, and our communities become safer. Read More March 25, 2026 #82, Feed Them “Love people. Cook them tasty food.” Those are six powerful words. It is purely coincidental—but nonetheless appropriate—that we christened our office cooking group Grill Team 6. A team of deputies comprises this cadre of chefs, and a rotating cast of characters provides frequent assistance and hilarious banter. Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Organization (SOCO) is the nonprofit 501(c)(3) that contributes financial support to and hands-on help with office initiatives, fundraising efforts, and food-prep projects. SOCO and Grill Team 6 will again showcase their partnership on April 29 at our annual and highly anticipated Chicken Pickin’ fundraiser. That day, they fire up a dozen giant grills at 5:00 a.m. and prepare barbecued chicken plates with green beans, potatoes, and a roll. Members of the Timeless Cruizers Car Club donate the chicken and assist with grilling duties. SOCO helps with the behind-the-scenes prep necessary for such an ambitious undertaking. They also source supplies, help plate and package approximately 1,000 meals, and sell tickets. Drop by the office at 106 E. Margaret Lane in Hillsborough to purchase yours! In 2023, SOCO used Chicken Pickin’ proceeds to help purchase 67 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for law enforcement and the South Orange Rescue Squad—its largest single donation to date. In the last two years, among many other contributions, SOCO has funded meals for disaster volunteers after Chantal, purchased CPR mannequins and child safety seats, replaced AED batteries and pads, ordered a new US flag for the office, and supported our annual Shop with the Sheriff event. SOCO also helps us with our roasted corn-on-the-cob sale at Hog Day, an annual community event in September. Grill Team 6 knows just the right ratio of soaking to roasting time, and SOCO offers every customer a dazzling array of seasonings for a customized flavor experience. Every year, SOCO uses some of the corn sale revenue to award the Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass Memorial Scholarship to a high school senior planning to study criminal justice in college. My team and I are committed to helping people age in place with dignity and support. We regularly prepare a hot dog lunch for up to 75 residents experiencing food insecurity or who are homebound. Grill Team 6 and Detention Center dietary staff cook the franks and fixings. SOCO packages the meals before we load them into Meals on Wheels vehicles for delivery. We also believe in supporting those who visit or travel through Orange County. Therefore, we occasionally prepare food for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill while UNC Hospitals care for their children. It is incredibly stressful to be away from home, worried about your child, surrounded by strangers, and far from your usual sources of comfort and support. Coping with all of that—and figuring out how to feed yourself every day—is nearly impossible. Once again, we rely on SOCO to help us prepare, package, and serve the meals. SOCO volunteers make snow cones and serve popcorn at community events. They bring us lunch on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. They show up to support and feed school bus drivers at our annual appreciation breakfast. But believe it or not, they are not only about food! Last year, by my conservative estimate, they provided more than 1,500 hours of service, saving tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Many help with Shop with the Sheriff. Some come to the office to shred and file important documents. Others helps fingerprint those who need background checks for work. If we need a photographer at a community event and my communications manager is busy, we call Rob. When it’s time to put classroom materials together for Citizens’ Academy, Ken is the wizard. Want to get involved? Buy tickets for the Chicken Pickin’—on sale now through April 20, 2026. Order ten or more plates and we will deliver. Consider attending our Citizens’ Academy, where you can have a good time, learn about the inner workings of our office, and qualify to become a SOCO member upon graduation. Plus, thanks to SOCO, we usually provide dinner! Clearly, we take Virginia Woolf to heart. She said, “One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Take it from me—you also can’t Sheriff well! When we feed people, we are connecting with the community we serve, and SOCO volunteers help us do it. Bon appétit! Read More February 25, 2026 #81, Parakaleo An education is a wonderful thing to have, but social media is probably not the best place to find one. That said, you can learn a lot if you know where to look. I enjoy listening to author and motivational speaker Ryan Leak, because he regularly delivers nuggets of wisdom. I recently watched one of his videos in which he spoke about “parakaleo.” Now that I know this concept, I see it in action everywhere. Parakaleo comes from the Greek words para , meaning “alongside,” and kaleo , which means “to call.” Simply put, parakaleo is the practice of coming alongside of someone and encouraging them forward. With such a mindset, a person does not let others shrink back; rather, he or she supports them as they move forward in a positive direction. Dean Smith, the legendary, late UNC basketball coach, intuitively understood parakaleo. He taught his players that after scoring, they should point to the player who passed them the ball, publicly sharing the credit for the basket by acknowledging the assist. I saw my friend Bob Epting the other day, and he looked a little down. I was on my way to an appointment, and I didn’t have much time, but I stopped and asked him if he was okay. He said he just finished a slightly stressful, time-sensitive task and that he was otherwise fine. I told him how much he matters to me and reminded him to take care of himself. We had a nice exchange, and as we were talking, a young man walked up and asked for help with a dead car battery. I started to arrange for a deputy to bring him a jump box, but Bob interrupted and said, “You go on, Charles. I know you are headed somewhere. I’ve got this.” I spent a few minutes giving encouragement and care to Bob, and before we even parted company, he was paying it forward by investing helpful energy into someone else. Parakaleo in action is contagious, much like laughter and enthusiasm. With the right mindset, anyone can pull alongside someone and push them forward. Sadly, the reverse is also true. Remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me”? I think we all know words can indeed hurt, and I believe destructive criticism is the opposite of parakaleo. I once attended an event to which I wore my favorite sport coat, a handsome tie, my favorite boots, and a nice pair of crisp blue pants. My wife picked out my jacket, and I love it. As soon as we arrived at the event, three or four people came up to me and complimented my beautiful coat before one person walked by and criticized my wardrobe choices. That one dig really stung, hitting me with more power than the multiple compliments, not because I am thin-skinned, but because of something scientists call negativity bias. With survival as the goal, evolution wired our brains to pay more attention to threats than to compliments, which is why the way we talk to people matters. We have the power to balance the scales by making sure people hear kindness more often than criticism. I recently gave the keynote at WHCL’s Hometown Hero luncheon during which the station celebrated those honored throughout the year in a popular weekly promotion. Almost no one in that room thought they did anything heroic – most of them said, “I was just doing my job.” However, we are a community full of people who notice the good deeds of others, pull alongside them, and push them forward by nominating them for public recognition because we know that what they do matters. Elite paracletes know that support can also be a passive practice. In other words, serving others doesn’t have to be hard or make you break into a sweat! Sometimes just listening to someone who seems down, harried, or frustrated is all it takes to allow them to move forward again. Put away your phone, make eye contact, avoid interrupting, and give the gift of your undivided attention. Usually, people don’t need us to offer solutions for their problems. They just need our support as they work through them. Every Tuesday morning, as we conclude staff meeting, I say, “Go forth and do good things.” Maybe I’ll start saying, “Go forth, do good things, and encourage someone to move forward with you.” Read More January 28, 2026 #80, Most Important Issue First responders must react to what occurs, which can often feel like a game of “Whack-a-Mole,” where a player uses a padded mallet to bop motorized pests on the head when they pop up. If you’ve ever played, you know additional moles continue to spring out ─ often players face several at the same time. People frequently ask me to identify the most important issues in law enforcement today. In many ways, that’s like asking me to name the biggest moles rather than focus on preparing deputies and detention officers to successfully serve the community regardless of what problems surface. Using my “Whack-a-Mole” analogy, I certainly understand that we need to react and respond to the critters that surface most frequently. But as a leader, I know that difficulties of the moment are not necessarily the most important. Building and maintaining a team that anticipates and adapts to change is the most important issue in law enforcement today. It is also my most important duty. It is critical that I recruit, train, equip, support, and retain people who can protect and serve no matter what pops up. Despite its status as a profession rich in history and tradition, a law enforcement officer does not operate in a static world. Even people who entered the field less than a decade ago find themselves working in a very different environment today. This reality certainly keeps me engaged, even after 45 years. No two days are the same, much less the years. At our office, we have what we call “The Standard.” It is not a policy document, but rather a mindset. Although “standard” can mean garden-variety or average, we mean something quite different. Our standard is not mediocrity, but rather excellence, and we aspire to it every day. We anticipate change and, as creative-thinking, resilient problem-solvers, we adapt to emerging societal issues, law changes, and technology improvements. In this way, we uphold our standard and build our culture regardless of the challenges we face. I want to share three examples, starting with the growing mental health crisis. I am not just aware of the conversations occurring at the local, state, and federal levels; I participate in them, working with stakeholders, our Criminal Justice Resource Department, and my colleagues on the Governor’s Crime Commission. But deputies and detention officers experience the ramifications of this crisis daily and must adapt and increase their skills now. They do not have the luxury of such discussions, nor can they wait for mental health system reform, the completion of a new crisis facility, or the funding of a grant proposal. It is imperative that I provide them training and tools such as verbal judo classes, crisis intervention skills, mental health first aid, and similar courses. We see people’s daily struggles, witness the impact on loved ones, and respond to suicides and overdoses. Accordingly, I also continually monitor employee wellness and provide appropriate resources. COVID-19 certainly brought with it many societal changes. The pandemic taught a master class in the importance of leveraging technology and modernizing long-standing policy. For example, even though video and audio equipment made virtual court appearances possible years before 2020, it took the crisis to accelerate the legal and cultural changes necessary to regularize this efficient practice. Therefore, throughout our agency, we examined where else this lesson might apply. Now, we now primarily use video visitation at the detention center. Loved ones find it more convenient and detention officers have more time to attend to other critical duties. By embracing and adapting, we improved. My final example shows that I do not only expect staff members to adapt to change ─ I also challenge myself to stay flexible. Although I still personally find it difficult to sport facial hair while wearing my dress uniform, I changed our policy when I saw clear evidence that deputies and detention officers with well-groomed beards, moustaches, or sideburns could be both professional and approachable. Likewise, I saw the merit in allowing visible tattoos. As society’s views toward body ink shifted, I recognized that by forbidding tattoos, we were causing exceptional applicants to apply elsewhere. A tattoo has no bearing on a person’s ability to perform his or her duties at the highest level; therefore, I changed my stance. Referring again to “The Standard,” we must continually adapt, change, and grow. Remaining nimble is our superpower, because maintaining the ability to provide for public safety, regardless of issue, problem, or emergency, will always be the most important issue in law enforcement. Read More December 31, 2025 #79, Third Term in Review As the final days of 2025 tick away, it has now been 45 years since I began my law enforcement career. On December 16, 1980, when I first put on the uniform as a deputy, I never imagined such longevity. As my third term as Sheriff continues, my father’s advice, “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” deeply resonates with me. I periodically reflect on my first days as Sheriff back in December 2014. I expected establishing a new culture to be challenging, but it turned out to be relatively easy. I centered everything on the premise that employees are a Sheriff’s greatest asset. I trusted that if they felt important, valued, supported, and appreciated, they would perform well and earn community respect. We took a fresh look at our policies, adjusted those that were well-intentioned but poorly planned, and engaged in a continual process of evaluation and improvement. With state-of-the-art training and equipment, employees are safer. They think creatively, work efficiently, and interact confidently with the public and those in our custody at the detention center. I hear almost daily how well they represent the mission and values of this office. About a year ago in this column, I wrote about the importance of partnerships. Every time we collectively solve complicated problems, we learn something from the other professionals involved, and we improve our working relationships. Almost every crisis we face is easier because of the ones that came before it; there is simply no substitute for experience. Coalitions formed during rapidly evolving, tense, and dangerous situations tend to be particularly strong, and we rely on this trust when public safety is at stake. Because relationships are of immeasurable value to a Sheriff, I continuallydevote energy to building new ones. Trust must be built before the blue lights flash; therefore, we work to build connection with those we serve at community centers, in the courts, through the schools, at parades and public events, and with those who walk in the front door seeking assistance with administrative needs, civil process, or personal crisis. It’s no secret that providing 24/7/365 patrol and detention services for a county of more than 150,000 people spread across 401 square miles and bisected by two major interstates is an expensive undertaking. A Sheriff must be a fiscally responsible steward of public funds, and I value our excellent working relationship with the Orange County Board of Commissioners and Kirk Vaughn, our county budget director. We technically operate under two budgets – one for the detention center and one for all other operations. Chief Deputy Tina Sykes carefully balances our needs versus our wants as she manages both. She evaluates every expense using a simple test: if the item, initiative, training, or program directly relates to the safety of our employees or the public we serve, it is a need. Other requests may fall more into the category of a want. For example, newer, smaller, more powerful flashlights might be nice to have, but we only purchase them after meeting higher priorities. Many sheriffs across the nation have struggled with hiring and retaining employees. Some now provide hiring bonuses, a practice I prefer to avoid. I believe in hiring right, not rushing to hire right now. Retention bonuses, however, have merit; rewarding longevity helps a Sheriff keep talent and build institutional knowledge. We are fortunate to have a staff member dedicated to identifying and hiring quality candidates and ensuring their continual training. Moreover, you can’t buy advertisements as powerful as the personal testimony of employees who are proud of the work they do and the colleagues with whom they do it! We continually find that current team members are among our best recruiters. I chair the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission whose website links to the NC Statistical Analysis Center and the NC Justice Data Portal. Using 2024 statistics— the most recent available—I am pleased to report that Orange County has a crime rate 14.1% lower than the statewide average. This figure represents 790 fewer crimes per 100,000 people and a meaningfully lower individual risk per resident. I am also pleased that our Criminal Investigations Division has solved 100% of homicides occurring during my tenure as Sheriff. I am very fortunate to do work I love alongside truly talented people. Together, our accomplishments have exceeded my expectations, and I head into 2026 grateful for the opportunity to continue serving. I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. Read More November 19, 2025 #78, Anatomy of a Death Investigation On May 17, 2025, a person walking a dog in a wooded area off Hawk Ridge Road found human remains. Six months later, little is yet known about the decedent. However, that does not mean little has been done. I am writing to provide an update about the case and peek behind the curtain into the complexity and challenge presented by this type of case. When investigators and deputies arrived at the scene that Saturday afternoon, they found the scattered bones of a mostly skeletonized person. As is standard practice, we asked the on-call medical examiner (ME) to respond. We then conducted a joint investigation, both seeking to learn the decedent’s identity and what happened. In such cases, we look for evidence to determine what, if any, crimes occurred, and who committed them, while the medical examiner focuses on when the person died, by what cause, and in what manner. Although cause and manner may sound the same, they are not. Cause refers to the specific medical reason for the death, while manner goes to whether the death occurred by homicide, suicide, accident, natural causes, or if the reason is undetermined. For example, if the ME found a “penetrating cerebral wound from gunshot injury to the head” as the cause of death, the manner could be homicide, suicide, or accidental. Nothing at the scene provided clues to suggest the cause of the decedent’s death. Further, it remains unclear if the person died in those woods or if someone transported the body there after death. After investigators photographed and measured the scene, collected evidence, and the ME examined the remains, officials transported the body to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Raleigh. The OCME also found no obvious cause of death, not surprising given the pronounced decomposition of the body. Staff there estimated the person died sometime in the latter part of 2024. After studying the bones, a medical examiner specialist opined to our investigators that the decedent was likely a female adult, probably between 18 and 35 years old, with braces on only her bottom teeth. Although we hoped this specific detail might help identify the person, investigators searched the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) without success. This repository contains information about missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases. Specifically, it includes 650 missing persons and 158 unidentified bodies from North Carolina. When the OCME is unable to identify a person, the case passes to a forensic anthropologist for a more detailed examination of the bones. Such work can reveal important biological details, such as age, sex, stature, and perhaps ancestry. Skeletal abnormalities sometimes point to cause of death or reveal details about the decedent’s medical history or prior trauma. It may be several more months before the forensic pathologist issues a report. We are hopeful it will provide new direction for the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, genealogists will attempt to identify the person using an analysis of DNA from the body. An original DNA lab report includes tremendously long strings of letters representing clusters of genes. A genealogist’s work can take several years as he or she slowly narrows the pool of possibility, using databases to compare these strings with millions of other profiles. Eventually, the genealogist might find a DNA match to a probable distant relative. The genealogist will then continue inching forward, seeking a first-degree relative such as a parent, child, or sibling. Our experience teaches us the importance of remaining patient despite the painstaking and delicate nature of these investigations. Two years ago, a genealogist matched the DNA profile from an unidentified murder victim found more than 30 years ago in Orange County to some paternal cousins. Through a series of interviews, we eventually located a maternal aunt who reported that the family lost contact with her niece more than three decades prior. A subsequent analysis of the woman’s DNA confirmed the relationship and solved the mystery of the victim’s identity. Patience also proved critical for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier this month, they announced the identity of a woman killed in 1968 – probably setting the North Carolina record as the oldest cold case solved with the assistance forensic genealogy. Sheriff Willie Rowe said, “Law enforcement never gives up…and we embrace technology and partnerships to solve crimes.” Returning to the Hawk Ridge Road case, investigators have no reason to think there is any danger to residents in the area. Quite possibly, someone may have dumped the body in the woods after the death occurred elsewhere. But undoubtedly, neighbors remain disconcerted by the tragedy, and somewhere, a family longs for information about their loved one. If you have any information, please call Sergeant K. Goodwin, the lead investigator, at (919) 245-2918. ### Read More October 29, 2025 #77, Specialized IPC Training Yields Results It is difficult to find something you aren’t looking for. If we go to a domestic violence call, it would be irresponsible to assume everything is okay just because both parties deny needing assistance. We therefore rely on our training to look for context clues that will provide more insight about the situation. Are items in disarray? Does someone have a bruised neck or scratched upper arms? If we separate the people involved, do they tell the same story? It is precisely knowing what to look for that often helps get a victim out of danger. Similarly, we know that swerving or failure to maintain a lane may suggest a person is driving while impaired. Therefore, we look for other clues. Are there empty beer cans in the vehicle? Are the driver’s eyes red or glassy? Does he or she seem clumsy while getting the registration out of the glove box? Almost half a million children are missing in the United States, but shockingly, very few law enforcement officers are trained to look for them actively. Therefore, we recently started sending deputies to a relatively new program called Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC). IPC is an evidence-based curriculum created by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Interdiction refers to intercepting movement, most often discussed in terms of disrupting drug trafficking on our highways. For example, officers on a drug interdiction team might know where the natural cavities in a vehicle are. They are also trained to look for signs of tampering or modification that might indicate large amounts of narcotics are concealed within. The goal of IPC is to broaden the perspective of law enforcement officers, teaching them how to identify missing children. Those with IPC training know that not every child in a vehicle is with a parent or other appropriate person. Believing that a child in the back seat will say, “Hi, I am Jane Doe, and this man kidnapped me three months ago” is not a reasonable expectation. Encountering a child is not the same as looking for a missing one. The IPC program, important everywhere, is especially critical in North Carolina, which is consistently ranked in the country’s top 10 states for human trafficking. We have several major interstate highways, a significant military presence, large agricultural areas, a booming tourism industry, and we are approximately halfway between Florida and New York, all of which are factors conducive to exploiting people for profit. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety provides the multi-disciplinary IPC training through the North Carolina Justice Academy. The program has four primary pillars: train officers to identify individuals who pose a high risk to children; equip officers to recognize children who are being exploited, abused, or trafficked; teach officers about the resources available to help them determine the status of a child who may be missing or at risk; and prevent future crimes, partly through the effective prosecution of people who exploit children in any manner. A deep dive into these pillars is beyond the scope of this article, but in brief, the first two pillars help law enforcement officers understand the coin has two sides. One is to identify what makes adult behavior suspicious; the other is to recognize how the actions of children and adolescents might provide clues to their status as victims. Those trained in IPC also understand why the presence of some objects and the absence of others might be cause for suspicion. The third pillar is critical. Officers need to know how to access resources immediately to facilitate rescue with minimal additional trauma. If they are unable to do that, officers log suspicious activity into a database that tracks patterns and searches for connections. The final pillar recognizes the complexity of these crimes and the important work of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. The Conference prepares prosecutors to secure convictions in these complex, multijurisdictional criminal cases. Within weeks of attending the training, one of our deputies, while assisting another agency on a call involving a runaway, recognized something was “off.” He viewed the juvenile as more than a rebellious teen and noticed signs that she might now be caught in a dangerous web. Despite the hour, he arranged for expert resources. The resulting forensic interview revealed the teen had been commercially sex trafficked since she went missing. Moreover, the interview led to the rescue of a second victim and criminal charges against three co-conspirators. IPC is a mindset. Missing kids are out there. I want all my deputies trained to find them. Read More September 24, 2025 #76, Train Tracks are Dangerous Places In the United States, a train strikes a person or a vehicle every three hours. That’s approximately eight collisions a day – an astonishing figure. The bad news continues: North Carolina has the thirteenth highest number of rail trespass deaths in the country. September is Train Track Safety Month. You may have seen social media posts from Operation Lifesaver warning people to respect train tracks. Their annual campaign, “See Tracks? Think Train” raises awareness about rail safety. Train tracks are critical national infrastructure, and they are very dangerous places. It would be absurd to walk in the middle of a highway or airport runway, but people don’t seem to have the same healthy respect for the risks of railroads. Obviously, trains cannot swerve, and it can take them more than a mile to stop. By the time an engineer sees a vehicle or a person on the tracks, he or she can only apply the brakes, blow the horn, and watch in terror while waiting for the inevitable – a helpless, terrible feeling. Walking alongside the tracks is only marginally safer, as the rough, rocky ground can cause unexpected falls or twisted ankles. I hate to imagine stumbling onto the track and being unable to stand back up while a train thunders at me. Moreover, people who walk along rail lines often fail to realize that trains are wider than tracks; they typically have a significant overhang on each side. It may come as a surprise that railroad tracks and the surrounding right of way are not public thoroughfares. Tracks – even abandoned ones – are private property, and if a person is on them without permission, he or she is trespassing. People trespass for a variety of reasons. Some are simply using the tracks as the shortest distance between two points, and they do not understand the dangers. Other people, often social media users, select tracks as a background for photography. Cell phone cameras have been around for about two decades now. It is probably not coincidental that rail trespass deaths over that period increased 44% (from 498 fatalities in 2002 to 718 in 2023). Too many people seek the rugged aesthetic of wood, metal, and sky, but rail lines have nothing to do with graduations, engagements, album cover art, or holiday greeting cards. It seems that one would hear a train coming, but typically, the sound only arrives seconds before the machine itself. Modern trains glide on tracks with very little friction. The crushed rock under the tracks further dampens the noise. The sound waves radiate outward and behind the train more than they project forward. Especially in an environment with significant levels of ambient noise, such as nearby vehicle traffic or wind blowing through trees, a person in front of the train may not hear it until it is only seconds from impact. People almost never survive a direct hit, and if they do, they generally suffer catastrophic, life-changing injuries. The chance of survival is only slightly better when the train strikes someone from the side. If the train throws a person clear – rather than under the train, off a bridge, or into a solid object – he or she might live, but the odds are still terrible. It is surprisingly difficult to judge the speed of a moving train. One reason is that larger objects appear to be moving more slowly than smaller ones traveling at the same speed. Airplanes fly fast, yet when I watch one descend over the interstate into RDU airport, it appears to crawl through the sky. A second optical illusion compounds the difficulty of judging train speed. When humans view parallel lines stretching into the distance, our eyes perceive them as getting closer to each other until they meet at the horizon, even though our brains know tracks remain the same distance apart. This phenomenon causes the train to appear both farther away and slower than it is, a dangerous combination. Drivers should never attempt to race through a marked crossing before the arms come down. I’ve seen people get trapped between the barriers with disastrous consequences. Likewise, motorists should stop, look both ways, and proceed with extreme caution at junctures without physical barriers and flashing lights. Trains are not required to sound their horns at all crossings; therefore, silence does not mean safety. Except for passengers, employees, and those with explicit permission from the railroad, no one belongs on train tracks. Trains are fast, surprisingly quiet, and unable to stop quickly. A shortcut or a photograph is not worth the risk. Read More August 27, 2025 #75, Detention Center Staff provide critical, difficult service As Sheriff, I operate and manage the county’s detention facility, also called the jail. Although my staff and I strive to make the facility the safest place in the county, that is a tall order. Every day, we must keep approximately 105 involuntary residents safe, fed, and healthy. We facilitate access to legal counsel, support contact with family members, prepare and serve three meals a day, and provide transportation to court appearances and medical appointments throughout the state. It is not easy work, and lately, it feels as though the job has become more challenging. The hard truth is that a jail population generally consists of people who were not dealt many advantages in life and/or made very unwise choices. Many are in poor physical health, some struggle with addiction, and a significant percentage wrestle with mental illness. Law enforcement officers have known for decades that people with unmet mental health needs often surface in either the emergency department or the criminal justice system. Sadly, society has made little progress devising appropriate alternatives. I should add that Covid made matters worse. Not only did that year of social isolation exacerbate existing mental health problems, but as we adapted to social distancing, we formed some new habits that continue to keep us apart. Increased isolation can be hard on anyone, and mentally fragile people tend to fare worse. I think about the Great Depression and how the stresses of that time echoed for decades, and I believe history will repeat in the post-Covid world. Mental health resources are scarce, especially for people without insurance. Those in our care who desperately need treatment sometimes languish in our facility, often experiencing severe declines in their level of functioning. Jail, after all, is a place of isolation, and that experience—already difficult for most people—can be dangerous for those with mental illness. Some of our detainees suffer so severely and decline so precipitously that they engage in deeply disturbing behaviors, some of which involve their own excrement. Possible reasons for this behavior include gaining a sense of control, expressing anger and frustration, or avoiding interactions with others, but that is not why I mention this unsettling practice. I bring it up because we have so many people suffering with mental illness in the facility that what once was rare is now a near-daily occurrence, and it poses a huge challenge for the staff. Can you imagine if, on top of your already difficult duties, you had to regularly clean up urine and feces? What would that do to YOUR mental health? I’ll tell you what it’s doing to my staff. They are burning out. They are tired. They are finding other jobs, even if it means accepting a pay cut. In recent years, when a shortage of detention officers plagued many agencies, our numbers held steady, but suddenly, our staffing levels are dipping below my comfort level. That said, although it worries me, I choose to focus on the positive. As we know, a pendulum doesn’t swing only one way. One of our detention officers recently retired and we posted congratulations to her on our Facebook page. Former residents of the jail posted comments, one praising her grace and compassion. Another noted her kind, nonjudgmental approach. The honoree responded that despite the difficulties of the job, she found her career rewarding. She mentioned bonds formed with co-workers and the enduring friendships she built. You can’t buy a better recruitment tool! I expect significant relief when the Orange County Crisis Diversion Facility (CDF) becomes a reality. By design, it will work in an integrated manner with our population to provide specialized behavioral health treatment to those whose mental health struggles disrupt daily operations of our facility. Incarceration is not a humane response to mental illness; the CDF will provide appropriate treatment in a secure facility at lower cost than a traditional hospitalization. The CDF will have 16 beds in its crisis unit and 12 spots for those who need a slightly less restrictive program of care. Construction will start soon, and this long-anticipated, much-needed resource will help those whose misdeeds stem from mental-health issues, not criminal intent. It will also help improve working conditions for detention officers, whose critical service to this county cannot be overstated. In essence, I wrote this entire column to express appreciation for the detention center staff. Their work is typically unseen and unsung, but I thought readers would appreciate learning about their dedication despite the present difficulties. When the Crisis Diversion Facility opens, it will ease the burden. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in giving detention officers the respect and support they deserve. ### Read More July 30, 2025 #74, Storm Recovery Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall in South Carolina at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, 2025, weakening into a tropical depression before noon. As late as 5:55 p.m., the National Weather Service maintained Orange County would likely get no more than two inches of rain with a reasonable “worst-case scenario” of less than four inches. As we now know, Chantal stalled, doubled down, and dumped an unprecedented 10 inches of rain in Orange County. One person died when floodwaters trapped her vehicle as she traveled to work. First responders found her body about 18 hours later, changing the lives of her family and friends forever. Other numbers also illustrate the devastation: almost 8,000 calls to 911 telecommunicators, 421 residential properties impacted (of these, the storm destroyed four and delivered major damage to 215 others), 190 residents displaced, 75 crashes/accidents, 14 people injured, and nine road closures. Financially, Orange County suffered more than $20.5 million in residential damage, almost $21 million in commercial destruction, and $28.2 million in harm to facilities such as public works yards and vehicles, water/wastewater treatment plants, and park buildings and equipment. I want to acknowledge the stress and frustration involved in recovering from such a crisis. Times are undoubtedly tough in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and the road can be long. Western North Carolina, still digging out 10 months after Helene, knows the hardship all too well. Fortunately, there is a process in place to assist with recovery. It involves coordinating many levels of government and takes time. The desire to return to normal quickly is understandable, but people who skip prescribed steps risk disqualifying themselves from sources of funding for which they might otherwise be eligible. A full discussion of the process is beyond the scope of this column, but I want to summarize some highlights. It begins when local Emergency Management officials recommend and the chair of the Board of Commissioners declares a State of Emergency, both of which happened on July 7. County and municipal personnel then begin to assess the disaster’s local impact. Residents with damage or excessive debris may register with the county’s “Crisis Track” tool on the readyorange.org website. [This action is one avenue to document damage, but it is not the only way to preserve eligibility for financial relief should it be granted. People should also take photographs and save all receipts.] Additionally, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration make site visits; both entities have assistance programs with complex eligibility criteria. After Orange County officials compile damage estimates, they submit a preliminary assessment to North Carolina Emergency Management. With damage exceeding $600,000, we potentially qualify for state assistance. Meanwhile, our losses are also combined with those of other affected counties. The collective total is used to determine if the state is eligible for other state and federal assistance. My summary above is a simplified explanation of a complicated financial process. Meanwhile, volunteers begin efforts to help affected people with clean-up and emergency repairs. The Crisis Track reporting tool I mentioned earlier identifies the people who need assistance, their location, and the scope of their trouble. This information is then funneled to volunteer agencies with rosters of trained people ready to help with the physical demands of recovery, and to others capable of managing, tracking, and dispersing financial donations. Most readers are at least somewhat familiar with the services of the American Red Cross. They responded immediately to help with Chantal recovery. Likewise, the North Carolina chapter of Volunteers Active in Disaster (VOAD) convened a diverse group of organizations to alleviate the storm’s impact by delivering services in an effective, efficient manner. According to their vision statement, VOAD wants to “… be the recognized non-governmental leader of the disaster preparedness, response, and recovery sector.” Some of the organizations currently working in Orange County include Baptists on Mission, Team Rubicon, Grounded Boots, the Homebuilders Association, and Habitat for Humanity. Throughout my career, emergency management professionals and I have seen the dangers and inefficiencies of untrained volunteers showing up in the aftermath of a disaster. Despite their good intentions, they are often unprepared and ill-equipped for the danger and difficulty of the work. Likewise, an incoming tide of unsolicited, undirected donations becomes a management, storage, and disbursement challenge, one with which western North Carolina still wrestles. Please see links to agencies on readyorange.org and consider offering your financial support. If you are physically able to help clean-up after disasters, I hope you will consider researching vetted, established volunteer groups in advance of the next crisis. Learn how to join their ranks. Tell them the Sheriff sent you! Read More June 25, 2025 #73 Water Safety My father taught me the irony of water: we spend as much time fighting to keep it out of some places as we do trying to contain it within others. Without it, nothing lives, yet it can be incredibly destructive. That contradiction illustrates a critical truth. We cannot control water, and therein lies its danger, especially when it comes to water safety in the summer. Water is powerful, unpredictable, and deceptive. The phrase “still waters run deep” refers to a quiet, calm person with a complex, interesting, inner life – an apt metaphor for the currents and turmoil often lurking beneath the surface of any body of water. I think of the four-acre pond at the Eno Quarry, which closed in 1964. It has claimed at least four lives and broken the bones of countless others who jumped into its serene beauty only to be surprised by its surprising depth and hidden dangers. Did you know a toddler can drown in only two inches of water? Children that young have small bodies, large heads, and are still figuring out how to control their limbs. They usually find it difficult to return to an upright position if they slip in the bathtub or stick their head into a carwash bucket. One panicked inhalation in the water can lead to a blocked airway. Obviously, the shallow end of a pool and the ocean’s edge are therefore dangerous for little ones. If you’ve seen a drowning depicted on TV, you probably have the wrong expectations. Drowning is a surprisingly silent event, not a noisy, violent episode of splashing and screaming. The person is unlikely to call for help; the human body prioritizes breathing and staying afloat over shouting. Sufferers often look calm or even passive to people standing nearby. Victims are usually vertical in the water, with a tipped back head, a mouth just at water level, and glassy, unfocused eyes. They may appear to be climbing a ladder, but they are not making effective movement in any direction. My wife and I have a pool, and our grandkids love it. But the mere presence of that pool means they are always in danger at our house, not just when we are swimming. If they are on the property, someone must have eyes on them. Around a pool, the water watcher is akin to a designated driver at a bar or party but with even more restrictions. Think about the lifeguards you have known. They sit alone, with no phones, conversations, or other distractions. The job requires total concentration and sobriety. People frequently assume children are safer if many adults surround the pool, lake, or seashore. The reality is that if everyone is “watching the kids,” no one is watching them carefully. Even casual conversation distracts; the risks increase exponentially if people are drinking, reading, or scrolling on their phones. Children who take swimming lessons early in life often experience a decreased fear of the water, increased ability to submerge their faces, and some can even demonstrate a survival float−although they might not understand its purpose. I am all for early swim lessons, as long as no one forgets that children younger than three or four rarely have the physical coordination and the mental judgment to be a competent, water-safe swimmer. Experts do not recommend floaties, water wings, or innertubes. These aids can slip off, pop, or trap a child upside down. Life jackets, also called personal flotation devices or PFDs, are the best form of protection. Manufacturers design them with floatation pads that turn a person – even an unconscious one – face up in the water. Everyone on a boat, not just children, should wear a PFD. Intending to grab one in case of an emergency is like planning to buckle your seatbelt during a traffic crash. If the boat capsizes or collides with another vessel, a PFD will rarely be within your reach when you surface after being thrown into the water. Moreover, if you sustain an injury during the emergency, you may have trouble swimming to a PFD or putting it on. No one, regardless of ability, should swim alone. Leave the water if you hear thunder or see lightning. Have a rescue plan, make sure you have a phone nearby, and learn CPR. Water both enhances and threatens life – sometimes in the same moment. Tragedy happens when we assume it won’t. Stay sober, take your turn watching, and above all, respect the power of water. That simple act can mean everything. ### Read More Load More

Learn about the Command Staff of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Meet the Command Staff Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood Phone: (919) 245-2900 E-mail: csblackwood@orangecountync.gov Chief Deputy Tina Sykes Phone: (919) 245-2900 E-mail: trimmer@orangecountync.gov Major Josh Wood Operations (919) 245 - 2927 jwood@orangecountync.gov Major Nate Fearrington Administration & Logistics (919) 245 - 2919 nfearrington@orangecountync.gov Major Tim Jones Detention, Courts, & Transport (919) 245 - 2956 tijones@orangecountync.gov Click Here to Learn More About Our Divisions Do You Want to Make a Difference in Your Community? Apply to Join Our Team Today! JOIN OUR TEAM!

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cfd19ae3-f6c5-4733-8120-277f27602b76 #69, A Decade in Review February 26, 2025 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood So much in life depends on perspective. For example, the fact that I am midway through my third term strikes me as mildly interesting. But the fact that I’ve been serving as Sheriff for over 10 years blows my mind! When first elected, I worried about taking the reins of a large agency with varied, complex, and sometimes dangerous responsibilities. My predecessor served for 32 years, and agencies can be slow to change. I remain pleasantly surprised at how quickly we established a new organizational culture by focusing on open communication. I prioritized providing the training, equipment, and support the staff deserved. I knew I wanted members of my staff to be the best possible versions of themselves, but I did not realize yet how much watching them improve, grow, and achieve their goals would mean to me personally. Although a sheriff is obviously a law enforcement professional, I spend most of my time communicating with others and building relationships. Through interactions with the chiefs of surrounding agencies, members of community groups, and local, state, and federal leaders, I’ve learned the importance of establishing partnerships before the blue and red lights flash. Trust is hard won and easily broken, and nurturing these connections is one of the most impactful ways I can support my staff and improve community safety. In law enforcement, trust is everything. I thought it might be interesting to share which technological advancement I feel revolutionized law enforcement the most during the last decade, and I really tried to answer this question. I considered our improved ballistic protection, safer vehicles, in-car data terminals, incredible optics and scopes on our firearms, social media connectivity, body worn cameras, mobile phone applications, radios with improved interoperability, advanced cell phone technology, and our drone fleet. But as I grew increasingly frustrated trying to identify the most stunning technological advance, I realized something truly profound. No piece of technology will ever compare to the dedication of those who step forward to serve. Shiny new toys and capabilities are great, but humans will always be the X-factor. Readers might wonder if I can point to a single event that impacted our agency the most thus far in my tenure. Without a doubt, that would be the senseless murders of 14-year-old Lyric Woods and 18-year-old Devin Clark in September 2022. This case hit home for many of us, especially those with children. My daughter, now a mother herself, tells me she finally understands why I always told her before she left the house, “Be careful and be smart.” A case like that changes a community. Horror, grief, fear, and outrage can leave us all struggling to remember that although evil exists, it is still a beautiful world. If I could obliterate one issue from the landscape of Orange County, I would choose opioids. Over the past decade, countless calls directly involved, or resulted from, the use of these drugs. This list includes break-ins, people stealing from family and friends, the exacerbation of mental illnesses, profound impacts on personal relationships, and a tendency to increase poverty. I’ve experienced two major personal changes during my tenure: the death of my mother and the births of my grandchildren. My mother was proud to see me become Sheriff, and although I miss her, I am grateful for the lessons she taught me and the sacrifices she and my father made. I try to honor her legacy of service before self, and I hope to pass those lessons to my three- and five-year-old grandsons. My love for them is deeper than I can explain. At their young ages, all they really understand is that I am like Woody the Sheriff, their favorite character from the movie Toy Story, but I hope one day they will be proud of me, too. Nothing about being Sheriff has changed my favorite food or my favorite day of the year. I still love a cheeseburger with mustard, chili, onions, and slaw, and I still love my birthday, February 19, because it marks important progress toward warmer weather and abundant daylight. I hate the cold and find winter depressing, but soon after my birthday, color begins to return, and a dormant landscape awakens. The saying “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life,” rings true for me. After 10 years as sheriff and over 40 in the Sheriff’s Office, I remain excited to come to work every day. I am grateful to the voters for their trust, and I thank my family, my staff, and their families for their continued dedication and support. ### Previous Next

8234b8ca-418c-4940-843b-e1ddb55514b9 #53, Grant Addresses Need (Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) October 25, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Although September is recognized as Suicide Prevention month, I would like to encourage our community to continue the conversation all year. Mental illness is treatable, and suicide is preventable, but we must keep talking and work to remove lingering stigma. As I’ve discussed in this column, deputies respond to many calls that are not about enforcing the law or keeping the peace. The proportion of calls involving a mental health crisis seems to increase each year, and the stresses of the pandemic only exacerbated this trend. Over the years, the mental health system in our state has all but collapsed, and at present, we are the professionals most readily available to step into the service chasm. Generally, mental health clinicians do not see people in the field during a crisis. They are usually hospital or clinic based, charge for their services, and have limited night and weekend availability. On the other hand, we respond to such calls because we have a highly efficient dispatch system, don’t bill for services, and are available 24/7/365. Even with skills learned in crisis intervention and mental health first-aid training, a deputy’s tools and solutions are geared primarily toward resolving a crisis as quickly as possible and answering the next call. Furthermore, rotating schedules preclude us from offering any meaningful follow-up. Anyone in the throes of a mental health crisis, especially if that person is suicidal, needs a specially trained clinician and more comprehensive services than law enforcement officers can provide. I don’t know anyone who believes our state’s mental health system is adequate. We don’t have a regional system, let alone the desperately needed county-level resources. That said, I am very pleased the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services within the NC Department of Health and Human Services awarded Orange County a grant to form a Community Care and Diversion Response team. The Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department will administer the program, which includes placing a social worker in my office and one each in the Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough Police Departments. These professionals will work under the supervision of a Mental Health Diversion Coordinator and collaborate with a clinician and a peer support specialist based at Chapel Hill’s Freedom House Recovery Center. The primary purpose of the Community Care team is to divert individuals with serious mental illness away from the criminal courts and into a system where they can receive treatment, peer support, and case management. But I have no doubt that this program will also be an invaluable tool for those in our community experiencing thoughts of suicide. These individuals deserve more than a ride to the hospital in a marked patrol vehicle and maybe a phone number to a crisis line. Suicide is often a result of emotional pain and despair, and people considering this permanent solution to such problems often feel isolated and hopeless. It is crucial that people have access to mental health treatment and supportive services; deputies will now be able to make a warm hand-off to a trained clinician who can develop an individualized treatment/service plan with their clients, provide up to 90 days of case management service, and make referrals to a dedicated clinical and peer support specialist. The Community Care team will also provide training about trauma-informed mental health interventions to law enforcement officers, allowing them to approach those experiencing suicidal thoughts or other mental health crises with greater awareness, improved communication, and increased consistency. I am also hopeful this program will help deputies and police officers in another way. It is well-known that law enforcement officers have increased exposure to critical incidents - an event that creates a significant risk of substantial harm to the physical or mental health of those involved. Most people experience an estimated two to three critical incidents in a lifetime; law enforcement officers have 18 such exposures ANNUALLY. Responding to a call where a deputy is trying to prevent the suicide of a person, or managing the aftermath of such a death IS a critical incident. I expect the existence of Community Care Team clinicians will mitigate the trauma law enforcement officers feel when responding to such calls because they will have actual resources to offer. Less stressed officers are more effective at their work and better able to cope with psychological harm caused by critical incidents they experience. In other words, the Community Care program will expand the assistance available to those experiencing a mental health crisis and those responding to one. Previous Next

40c361d1-1ca8-43e1-a15f-f8946c3fd467 #57, OCSO Drone Program February 28, 2024 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Deputies and detention officers have difficult, dangerous jobs. When I became Sheriff, I initially prioritized upgrading equipment and training to help keep them safe, efficient, and effective. However, I wanted to do more than improve how we do things; I wanted to expand the things we can do. Therefore, in my second term, I instituted our drone program, and this investment in emerging technology continues to pay dividends beyond my expectations. A drone is an aircraft with no pilot on board. The drones we use look like a cross between a helicopter and a bug, and they function like flying remote control cars. They take photos and videos, can see in the dark, and have heat-seeking capabilities known as FLIR. This thermal imaging technique is pronounced “fleer” and it stands for forward-looking infrared. The night vision and FLIR capabilities are so effective that it is sometimes more helpful to fly after dark! Although a consumer can purchase a drone weighing under 0.55 pounds and fly it the same day for strictly recreational purposes, that person is classified as a hobbyist. We, on the other hand, are not playing around, and we are not flying that kind of drone! Anyone flying for commercial purposes must obtain certification under the Federal Aviation Administration’s rule governing unmanned aircraft systems, also called Part 107. We have four certified pilots, and they will tell you the training is “eye-opening.” It covers drone operations, weather, aerodynamics, flight regulations, air space classification, and more. They will also tell you the certification exam is one of the most difficult tests they ever took. Once licensed, a drone-pilot must recertify every two years. Some air space is restricted, such as the area over stadiums, prisons, airports, and wildlife preserves, but we can generally fly drones over any public area where we are otherwise allowed to be. That said, we cannot violate people’s right to privacy. For example, we cannot hover directly over someone’s residence without a search warrant unless emergency circumstances exist that justify such action and we cannot release any photos without a subpoena. We deploy our drones most often for search and rescue situations, or to assist in tracking and apprehending subjects that flee from a crime scene or traffic crash. With a camera onboard each aircraft, our deputies receive a bird’s eye view of a much larger area than they could see unassisted. This same wide-area capability is useful for monitoring large crowds, such as protests, parades, or festivals. It allows us to scan congested areas for emerging disruptions or incoming threats to the assembly. When coupled with GPS capabilities, drones are an invaluable complement to a ground-based grid search for a missing child or wandering dementia patient. Drones help us see more, and they help us see differently. The top-down perspective provides a comprehensive vantage point from which to make tactical decisions. More information leads to better choices. The photos and videos also help us review and improve our performance in the aftermath of a critical incident. Perhaps most importantly, drones help keep our human assets safer. Imagine, for example, a person calls in a threat, perhaps reporting that he or she placed a bomb in a trash can at a ballfield. One of our pilots can fly over and peer into multiple trash receptacles in a fraction of the time it would take to do this task on foot, all while staying farther away from the risk of injury or death. To state the obvious, we can buy another drone, but people are irreplaceable. Our profession is continually realizing new applications for the technological capabilities of unmanned aircraft. Perhaps you recall the recent ground-shaking “BOOM” people heard in downtown Hillsborough and surrounding areas. It took almost 24 hours for seismologists to conclude a 2.2 magnitude earthquake caused the sound. In the interim, people were very concerned and uneasy. The drone pilot on duty spent several hours searching for dust or smoke clouds that might help locate the source of the sound. He also flew to a location where people sometimes shoot at Tannerite, an explosive target used for firearm practice. Although he found no answers, it was nonetheless reassuring when he ruled out several imminent safety concerns. Currently, our pilots must travel to the area of concern and maintain visual contact with the drone, but that will likely change in the not-too-distant future as the capability and reliability of this technology continue to increase. I expect drones will soon deliver an AED or Narcan when ground response time is outside the life-saving window. The possibilities are endless, and we are excited to explore them! Previous Next

cdac5cfb-2c8d-4724-9e34-64385c338bd4 #55, Vehicle Crashes December 27, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood A well-known adage holds that only two things are certain - death and taxes. For the sake of this month’s Lowdown, I am adding a third item to that list – vehicle crashes. Almost everyone I know has been in at least one accident as the at-fault driver, a passenger, or the motorist who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wrecks can be deadly or painful, they are usually expensive, and they are always inconvenient and stressful. In the immediate aftermath, people generally struggle to remember exactly what they should do. Let’s start at the very beginning. People have a responsibility to themselves and to other motorists to maintain their vehicles properly. Bald tires, inoperable turn signals, worn out brakes, broken taillights, and crumbling wiper blades can all lead to a person causing or being unable to avoid a crash. North Carolina requires a yearly safety inspection to help identify these issues, and a person may not renew a license plate without proof that this assessment is complete, and any problems addressed. Law enforcement officers stop driver for expired tags because an out-of-date sticker signals that a qualified technician has not inspected the vehicle or that the vehicle failed the inspection, and the operator has not corrected the identified problems. Frankly, many people would not maintain their vehicle unless required to do so. Prior to getting behind the wheel, it is generally a good idea for drivers to let someone know where they are going and when they plan to arrive. Ideally, motorists carry safety equipment, including a flashlight, first aid kit, and blankets. Many people think they don’t need a jacket because they are taking a quick trip to run a short errand. They feel differently once they’ve waited an hour or more in the cold for a trooper and a tow truck! I mention troopers because in the unincorporated parts of the county, the Highway Patrol investigates traffic crashes on state-maintained roads and in public vehicular areas. My deputies will respond to assist, render aid, or direct traffic, but troopers conduct the crash investigation and write any required reports. The wait times are often long, especially during rain or snow events when multiple collisions typically occur. Although such delays are frustrating, leaving the scene of a crash is against the law. Drivers must report any crash in which someone is injured or killed or property damage of at least $1,000.00 occurs. If no one seems injured and the property damage appears minimal, one of the parties may suggest handling the matter privately, but I advise against taking this course of action! Vehicles may have hidden damage, people may not realize they are injured, and the other party may provide false information or fail to live up to any roadside agreements. People involved in a collision should do their best to stay calm and proceed carefully. Each driver should assess him or herself and all passengers for injuries, turn on hazard lights, and check to see if it is safe to exit the vehicle. He or she should also heed warnings from witnesses or bystanders – they may see a hazard from their vantage point that the drivers cannot, such as downed power lines, fluid leaks, or oncoming traffic. Witnesses may realize an involved party is seriously hurt, but because of adrenalin or shock, the injured person may not feel pain yet. Once out of the car, all parties should check on others involved in the crash, help uninjured people navigate away from the scene, call for help, and try to alert other motorists. Crash scenes are dangerous places - many wrecks are followed by additional collisions, either in a chain reaction, or because other drivers fail to successfully navigate around the scene of the crash. North Carolina has a fender bender law which requires motorists to move vehicles to the side of the road and out of the path of nearby traffic if it is safe to do so and no one is seriously injured. Although drivers should comply with this law as soon as they can, taking a cell phone photo of the crash before moving the vehicles may be advisable. I encourage everyone to remind themselves frequently that driving is a privilege and a tremendous responsibility. Approach the task with respect and caution and do not operate a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Follow applicable laws, avoid distractions, use common sense, and be courteous. I wish everyone safe travels and a healthy 2024. Previous Next

577e965f-6225-4497-b8dd-71b07f7c531d #83, Discretion is a Two-Way Street April 29, 2026 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Why do we give some people a warning and others a ticket for speeding? If marijuana is illegal in North Carolina, why aren’t we arresting and charging someone in possession of a small amount for personal use? How do deputies decide? Law enforcement officers have discretion in most situations. For example: I recently pulled over a driver after she passed me going 110 miles per hour. When I approached her car, I saw the passenger writhing in pain. While I knew the driver had broken the law, I now understood why. I escorted her to the hospital rather than sending her to traffic court. Our general policy is to seize and destroy small amounts of marijuana but not to charge the person with a crime. Although people legally use marijuana recreationally in many states, in North Carolina, possession of a small amount of the drug is a Class 3 misdemeanor and typically results in a fine with no jail time. Taking someone to the magistrate’s office for that offense is a significant drain on a deputy’s time. It is more important for us to remain on patrol, responding to true public safety emergencies. Other jurisdictions in North Carolina make different choices and will arrest for any amount of marijuana. Communities set their own priorities. We choose to focus on drug traffickers moving large quantities of illegal substances—not those who might smoke a joint now and then. There are also times when the law removes discretion. Under N.C.G.S. §50B-2, if a deputy has probable cause to believe someone has violated a protective order, he or she SHALL make a warrantless arrest. Shall is a powerful word. Where most laws give deputies authority, not a mandate to act, this one requires a specific action—even if the officer believes another course might be more appropriate. In these cases, the statute also limits the magistrate’s discretion to set the conditions of pretrial release. The alleged offender must be held in the detention center for a 48-hour cooling-off period. Deputies also have no discretion when it comes to the duty to intervene. The Criminal Justice Reform bill, passed in September 2021, addresses the “blue wall of silence.” If a law enforcement officer witnesses a colleague committing what the observing person believes to be an unlawful act, such as the use of excessive force, he or she MUST step in or speak up. Additionally, the law requires the observing officer to report the incident to a superior within 72 hours. Courts have made clear that an officer’s use of discretion must be judged based on the facts and circumstances as they appeared at the time—not what is later learned. Expecting an officer to distinguish a real gun from a toy weapon while standing 50 yards away is not reasonable. Expecting officers on scene to intervene when a fellow officer keeps a knee on a man’s neck for nine minutes is. Likewise, civilians should avoid inserting facts known to them or later discovered into their evaluation of a use-of-force incident. Regardless of whether the officer knew the person was a church deacon, a single father, or a cancer patient, such details have no bearing on whether the officer’s actions were appropriate. Citizens exercise discretion as well. My cell phone number hangs on the wall in the public lobby of the Sheriff’s Office. I put it there because I trust people to know the difference between calling me in the middle of the night for an urgent matter and waking me up seeking a restaurant recommendation. Civilians also exercise discretion when the decide to call law enforcement. Not every unfamiliar situation is a threat, and not every person who “looks out of place” is doing something wrong. Perception is shaped by experience—and sometimes by bias. Calls based on misinterpretation can divert deputies from true emergencies and create unnecessary encounters that escalate tensions rather than resolve them. People should report legitimate concerns promptly, but we all share a responsibility to pause, assess, and ensure that what we are seeing is truly a law enforcement matter before dialing 911. The law does not account for every human circumstance, so we ask deputies to consider situations with judgment, context, and humanity. We deal with people—not just violations on paper. When deputies exercise discretion wisely, and when people extend it thoughtfully in return, trust grows, deputies are more effective, and our communities become safer. Previous Next

ac423006-aeb0-47ec-8094-9a73472b7c18 #79, Third Term in Review December 31, 2025 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood As the final days of 2025 tick away, it has now been 45 years since I began my law enforcement career. On December 16, 1980, when I first put on the uniform as a deputy, I never imagined such longevity. As my third term as Sheriff continues, my father’s advice, “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” deeply resonates with me. I periodically reflect on my first days as Sheriff back in December 2014. I expected establishing a new culture to be challenging, but it turned out to be relatively easy. I centered everything on the premise that employees are a Sheriff’s greatest asset. I trusted that if they felt important, valued, supported, and appreciated, they would perform well and earn community respect. We took a fresh look at our policies, adjusted those that were well-intentioned but poorly planned, and engaged in a continual process of evaluation and improvement. With state-of-the-art training and equipment, employees are safer. They think creatively, work efficiently, and interact confidently with the public and those in our custody at the detention center. I hear almost daily how well they represent the mission and values of this office. About a year ago in this column, I wrote about the importance of partnerships. Every time we collectively solve complicated problems, we learn something from the other professionals involved, and we improve our working relationships. Almost every crisis we face is easier because of the ones that came before it; there is simply no substitute for experience. Coalitions formed during rapidly evolving, tense, and dangerous situations tend to be particularly strong, and we rely on this trust when public safety is at stake. Because relationships are of immeasurable value to a Sheriff, I continuallydevote energy to building new ones. Trust must be built before the blue lights flash; therefore, we work to build connection with those we serve at community centers, in the courts, through the schools, at parades and public events, and with those who walk in the front door seeking assistance with administrative needs, civil process, or personal crisis. It’s no secret that providing 24/7/365 patrol and detention services for a county of more than 150,000 people spread across 401 square miles and bisected by two major interstates is an expensive undertaking. A Sheriff must be a fiscally responsible steward of public funds, and I value our excellent working relationship with the Orange County Board of Commissioners and Kirk Vaughn, our county budget director. We technically operate under two budgets – one for the detention center and one for all other operations. Chief Deputy Tina Sykes carefully balances our needs versus our wants as she manages both. She evaluates every expense using a simple test: if the item, initiative, training, or program directly relates to the safety of our employees or the public we serve, it is a need. Other requests may fall more into the category of a want. For example, newer, smaller, more powerful flashlights might be nice to have, but we only purchase them after meeting higher priorities. Many sheriffs across the nation have struggled with hiring and retaining employees. Some now provide hiring bonuses, a practice I prefer to avoid. I believe in hiring right, not rushing to hire right now. Retention bonuses, however, have merit; rewarding longevity helps a Sheriff keep talent and build institutional knowledge. We are fortunate to have a staff member dedicated to identifying and hiring quality candidates and ensuring their continual training. Moreover, you can’t buy advertisements as powerful as the personal testimony of employees who are proud of the work they do and the colleagues with whom they do it! We continually find that current team members are among our best recruiters. I chair the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission whose website links to the NC Statistical Analysis Center and the NC Justice Data Portal. Using 2024 statistics— the most recent available—I am pleased to report that Orange County has a crime rate 14.1% lower than the statewide average. This figure represents 790 fewer crimes per 100,000 people and a meaningfully lower individual risk per resident. I am also pleased that our Criminal Investigations Division has solved 100% of homicides occurring during my tenure as Sheriff. I am very fortunate to do work I love alongside truly talented people. Together, our accomplishments have exceeded my expectations, and I head into 2026 grateful for the opportunity to continue serving. I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. Previous Next

Photos & Videos of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Photos and Videos Media Gallery Explore the Orange County Sheriff's Office in action through our collection of photos and videos. These images capture our deputies, detention officers, and staff serving the community, participating in local events, and working to keep Orange County safe. Looking for more? Visit our: Homepage gallery Facebook page Instagram account X feed YouTube page Connect with us on social media to stay updated on the latest news, events, and community initiatives from your Sheriff's Office. Main Gallery Videos Photo Gallery and Archive Our Gallery is updated monthly with new and exciting photos! In case you missed last month's photos! In case you missed the previous month's photos! Video Archive Orange County NC Sheriff's Office Videos Play Video Play Video 07:25 Sheriff's Office Serves community of Orange County, NC Orange County, NC is a diverse, engaged community. The Sheriff's Office serves in surprising ways and enjoys a variety of proactive partnerships. As we emerge from the pandemic, some of the faces have changed since we filmed this video, but the partnerships remain. Sheriff Charles Blackwood and the members of his office look forward to resuming their signature service profile! Thank you to the following: Velasquez Digital Media Communications, Minister Robert Campbell, the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA), Lydia Lavelle, Town of Carrboro, Pilar Rocha Goldberg, El Centro Hispano, Cordelia Henney, Compass Center, Lindsay Bailey, SafeKids Orange County, Shenae McPherson, Orange County Division on Aging, Mary Kay Kraft, S.A.L.T, Dinah Jeffries, Orange County Emergency Services, Vencelin Harris, Town of Chapel Hill Fire Department, Mark Ezzelle, Governor's Highway Safety Program, and Bob Epting. Play Video Play Video 05:39 Did You Know? Come explore the Orange County (NC) Sheriff's Office! Learn about our divisions and the many ways we serve our community. Play Video Play Video 02:02 Hot Car Demo in Partnership with SafeKids NC Sheriff Charles Blackwood talks about the dangers of hot cars in front of a heat measuring device. Help yourself remember to always check the back seat. Play Video Play Video 03:01 OCSO Lifetrack Program The Lifetrack program at the Orange County Sheriff's Office adds a layer of safety for those caring for loved ones with dementia, cognitive impairments, memory loss, autism, or other conditions. If a program participant wanders away or becomes lost, a receiver helps locate them by tracking a radio signal emitted by a transmitter they wear on their wrist or ankle. Play Video Play Video 06:04 Private video Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Office serve the community as School Resource Officers. During Covid-19, they made a video to let students know how much they miss them and how much they care about them. Load More

9b8f8fec-c236-4572-ae2b-252b473b2c21 #52, Victim Identified After 33 Years September 27, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Thirty-three years ago, crews working on the side of I-40 found the remains of a young woman near the New Hope Church Road exit. I remember that day – I was a patrol deputy working in the southern part of the county. The victim had been dead for about a week, and the investigation revealed her killer probably strangled her and dumped her body alongside the Interstate. She was likely between 15 and 25 years old. Investigators wondered if she had been a runaway. Some witnesses reported seeing a person matching her description at a truck stop. Despite pursuing hundreds of leads, investigators were unable to determine her identity or that of her killer. Throughout the decades, some of our finest investigators kept plugging away. When you can’t close a case, it gets under your skin. You might set the file aside for a while, but you keep coming back to it, looking to see something you didn’t notice before, or hoping information gathered in ensuing cases has relevance to your cold case. Think back to 1990. Most of us probably didn’t have an email account or regular access to a computer. We did not have smart phones or social media accounts. Searches and inquiries we can accomplish now in a matter of seconds at a keyboard previously required an entirely different skill set. During the ensuing three decades, technology improved, and investigators continually had new tools at their disposal. They repeatedly checked web-based missing person sites as those became growing repositories of information. They turned to social media. Early in the case, someone made a bust of the victim, applying forensic facial reconstruction techniques to a model of her skull. By 2018, a talented digital forensic artist was able to generate an illustration that resembled a photograph. We pushed out this image and renewed pleas for help on the thirtieth anniversary of the day workers located her body, but nothing came of those efforts. Meanwhile, in laboratories all over the world, people continued to push the frontiers of science, particularly in the field of DNA research. Although prosecutors first won a criminal conviction using DNA in 1986, the field of forensic science as we know it today was still in its infancy in 1990 when we began this investigation. Although scientists could perhaps confirm someone’s identity via a DNA match or prove someone’s involvement in a crime through the biological clues they left behind, they could not use DNA to identify an unknown person. Through the years, we received substantial assistance and resources from the State Bureau of Investigation and several volunteers with a passionate interest in solving missing persons cases. We assigned Investigator Dylan Hendricks to the case in June 2020. He eventually learned from an SBI agent about a California lab doing phenomenal work extracting DNA from rootless hair, another new frontier. Hendricks sent a degraded hair fragment to Astrea Forensics in May of last year. The company returned a DNA profile last month, and after 33 years, we finally had the breakthrough we needed. Forensic genealogist Leslie Kaufman worked with the profile to identify family members of the victim using genealogy databases and other forensic tools. She identified some paternal cousins and investigators began conducting interviews. They learned of a female relative named Lisa Coburn Kesler whom no one had heard from in at least three decades. Investigator Hendricks said, “Essentially, there was a Lisa-shaped hole on a branch of the family tree right where the DNA told us Lisa should be, and no one knew where she was.” A maternal relative provided a DNA sample. Once analyzed, we had additional confirmation. Lisa was 20 years old when she died and had spent most of her life in Jackson County, Georgia. The results satisfied Clyde Gibbs, a Medical Examiner Specialist in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He updated NamUS, a national database used to connect missing persons cases to unidentified remains, reflecting that the DNA method resolved her case. Additionally, the Chief Medical Examiner is now able to amend her death certificate, providing her correct name and adding other demographic information. I am very happy we solved the decades-old mystery of this young woman’s identity, and I hope it provides solace to her remaining family members. We are grateful to the many investigators, passionate volunteers, and talented professionals who assisted with this effort. Our work on this case is not finished. Although we collectively demonstrated the value of dogged determination, we still need to identify Lisa’s killer. There is no statute of limitations on murder, and the investigation remains open. If you have any information about this case, please call Investigator Hendricks at (919) 245-2951. Previous Next