Charges dismissed against NC judge accused of plowing through Black Lives Matter protesters
A criminal court summons accusing a state appeals court judge of assault with a deadly weapon in Fayetteville has been dismissed, The Fayetteville Observer reports.
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The summons was issued on May 14 after a woman swore before a Cumberland County magistrate that Judge John Tyson nearly hit her with his SUV. The charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, according to court files.
A handful of activists were standing near the Market House on May 7, holding signs calling for criminal justice reform. Some of the protesters were in the streets but were not blocking the street, according to the city's security footage.
“It is bad enough to be falsely charged and to suffer a rush to judgment by some despite the evidence, but it need not be followed up by a blind prosecution," he wrote.
The Cumberland County District Attorney's office turned the case over to the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, which Courie described as impartial.
The Market House has been at the center of debate in the city. The historic building is just short of being 200 years old, and it used to be the symbol of Fayetteville. In recent years, its dark history of being a place where enslaved people were sold has turned it into a center of controversy.
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