REPORT: The "Repeat Offenders" of Wake County
Nearly 800 have 14 or more arrests in Wake County in the past 10 years
The brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train has captured the attention of many across America (up to and including President Donald Trump): not only for the complete unprovokedness of the fatal stabbing as illustrated in the released video, but also for the fact that the alleged knifeman Decarlos Brown had been arrested 14 times prior to the night of the killing, and was out on pretrial release with no bond for his latest offense when he "got that white girl" (in what appear to be his own words).
This article will attempt to address the factual question raised by this tragedy: just how many similar "repeat offenders" may be out in our communities?
The answer is perhaps most readily obtained in the state's largest county, where the Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services publishes readily accessible arrest records through its Arrest Records Portal and bulk records export.
The WCBFS arrest records indicate that there are 776 persons who have been arrested fourteen or more times in Wake County over the past ten years, representing 7.3% of the total arrests during this period, despite being only 0.8% of the arrestees. (see notes)
Eight were arrested fifty or more times during this period, with the most prolific being arrested seventy times.
Out of the 776 arrestees, 421 had a residence listed as "anywhere" for records related to at least two of their arrests, suggesting the arrestee was homeless at the time.
The arrests of these repeat offenders were somewhat disproportionately concentrated in Raleigh, with the Raleigh Police Department being responsible for 58.4% repeat offender arrests compared to 47.7% of all arrests.
Top "Repeat Offenders" in Wake County
For each of the eight arrestees with the most arrests in Wake County, second degree trespass made up a plurality of the charges listed in the arrest records. Although this most common charge is the lowest level of misdemeanor under state law, each of these arrestees had at least two assault-related arrests including charges such as assault on a government official/employee, assault on a female, or even assault with a deadly weapon.
FITTS, MICHAEL TERRANN
Arrests: 70
Charges: 148
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 37x
INTOXICATED AND DISRUPTIVE: 15x
MISDEMEANOR LARCENY: 12x
INJURY TO REAL PROPERTY: 8x
COMMUNICATING THREATS: 7x
Assault-related charges:
ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY: 5x
ASSAULT ON A FEMALE: 5x
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 5x
LAWRENCE, TRACEY
Arrests: 69
Charges: 261
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 46x
POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA: 37x
ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY: 12x
RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER: 11x
INTOXICATED AND DISRUPTIVE: 9x
Assault-related charges:
ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY: 12x
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 7x
ASSAULT PUBLIC TRANSIT OPERATR: 5x
ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON: 2x
FTA-SIMP ASSAULT,RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER: 2x
SIMPLE ASSAULT(DURHAM): 2x
ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY(DURHAM): 1x
FTA- ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL (DURHAM): 1x
FTA- ASSAULT W DEADLY WEAPON (X2) (DURHAM): 1x
FTA-ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY: 1x
FTA-ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON(2)(DURHAM): 1x
FTA-COMM THREATS;SIMPLE ASSAULT(DURHAM): 1x
HABITUAL MISDEMEANOR ASSAULT: 1x
SANDERS, ANTHONY LEE
Arrests: 68
Charges: 138
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 34x
RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER: 17x
INTOXICATED AND DISRUPTIVE: 15x
FTA-SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 12x
COMMUNICATING THREATS: 6x
Assault-related charges:
ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY: 4x
WILLIAMS, KEVIN MATTHEW
Arrests: 67
Charges: 146
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 40x
POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA: 34x
FTA-SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 15x
FELONY POSSESSION OF COCAINE: 5x
AGGRESSIVELY BEG: 4x
Assault-related charges:
FTA- SIMPLE ASSAULT; POSS DRUG PARA: 2x
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 2x
MOORE, MACK ALLEN III
Arrests: 65
Charges: 177
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 39x
FTA-SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 14x
INTOXICATED AND DISRUPTIVE: 11x
HABITUAL LARCENY: 9x
RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER: 8x
Assault-related charges:
ASSAULT CO/CAMPUS POLICE OFCR: 1x
FTA-ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON: 1x
ADAMS, MICHAEL LYNN
Arrests: 65
Charges: 117
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 48x
FTA-SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 17x
COMMUNICATING THREATS: 15x
FTA-SECOND DEGREE TRESSPASS: 3x
ASSAULT PUBLIC TRANSIT OPERATR: 2x
Assault-related charges:
ASSAULT PUBLIC TRANSIT OPERATR: 2x
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 2x
TESSIEN, EUGENYA NICOLE
Arrests: 59
Charges: 151
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 20x
MISDEMEANOR LARCENY: 20x
RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER: 18x
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 14x
INTOXICATED AND DISRUPTIVE: 10x
Assault-related charges:
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 14x
ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY: 9x
FTA-ASSAULT GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY(3)(ORANGE): 2x
ASSAULT AND BATTERY: 1x
ASSAULT PHY INJ EMERGENCY PRSN: 1x
FTA-MISD LARCENY(2),SIMPLE ASSAULT: 1x
FTA-SIMPLE ASSAULT: 1x
FTA-SIMPLE ASSAULT(DURHAM): 1x
WOODS, KENNETH DESHON
Arrests: 50
Charges: 83
Top 5 charges:
SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 23x
POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA: 12x
FTA-SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS: 8x
MISDEMEANOR LARCENY: 4x
ASSAULT ON A FEMALE: 4x
Assault-related charges:
ASSAULT ON A FEMALE: 4x
FTA-SIMPLE ASSAULT: 2x
ASSAULT AND BATTERY: 1x
FTA-ASSAULT ON A FEMALE: 1x
SIMPLE ASSAULT: 1x
Notes
This data is from arrest records published by the WCBFS, it is does not reflect the rate of prosecutions or convictions. (Reminder: our justice system considers defendants innocent until proven guilty.)
The 776 number is based on aggregating by first, middle, and last name: there may be discrepancies due to incorrectly or inconsistently entered names, or arrestees sharing identical names.
However, the arrest records for the eight top arrestees were verified by reviewing the mugshots in the WCBFS portal, revealing two discrepancies: there are three arrests of a separate Michael Lynn Adams, which were not counted in the totals, and most of the arrest records for Anthony Lee Sanders were listed as Anthony Sanders (the two sets were combined for the count).
Great work.
Thanks.