In national news, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment in the federal criminal case against Donald Trump after the Supreme Court granted former presidents substantial immunity. Court papers say the new indictment “reflects the Government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings and remand instructions.” Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their “exclusive sphere of constitutional authority” and are presumptively entitled to immunity for all official acts. But that wasn’t the end of the story – on the election subversion charges, the Court sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to “carefully analyze” whether the allegations involve “official conduct” for which the former president would be immune from prosecution. It appears after weeks of consulting with other officials in the Justice Department, special counsel Jack Smith sees a way to proceed in the case, consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling. Read on for more criminal law news.
Remembering Professor Zijie Yan. This week marks the one-year anniversary since an armed shooter killed Professor Zijie Yan on campus at UNC-Chapel Hill. The person charged in the shooting, graduate student Tailei Qi, has since been deemed unfit for trial, likely due to untreated schizophrenia, and has been committed to Central Regional Hospital in Butner for psychological treatment. Since the shooting, students, faculty and community members called for improvements to the emergency response after the shooting and lockdown led to mass confusion on campus. Changes include enhancing the university’s emergency alert messaging system, Alert Carolina, to provide more routine and informative updates, and adding emergency preparedness training for faculty. In commemoration, the Bell Tower chimed with Hark the Sound at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Further, applied sciences professor Richard Superfine, who interviewed and hired Professor Yan, will craft three benches with his class – one for Yan’s wife and two young daughters, one for Yan’s parents, and one to remain on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus.
DNA match identifies driver from 1989 fatal hit-and-run. Over thirty years ago, 52-year-old Ruth Buchanan was crossing the street after leaving a department store in Charlotte’s business district when she was struck by a car. She was taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries the next day. Eyewitnesses were able to give a detailed description of the car, including the license plate number. However, because it later turned out the car was stolen from a local car dealership, the case remained unsolved for decades. After a false tip renewed interest in the case, detectives sent evidence previously recovered to the police crime lab, where they matched DNA from the vehicle to 68-year-old Herbert Stanback. WFAE reports that Stanback has since confessed and was formally charged with the crime in June.
Put “car registration” on the grocery list. Earlier this week, NC DMV announced six new self-service kiosks, tripling the current number from three to nine. The pilot program began in March of this year, with three kiosks active in Harris Teeter stores in Raleigh, Fayetteville, and Charlotte. Customers can renew driver licenses or ID cards, order duplicates, change their address, renew vehicle registrations, and pay property taxes on new vehicles. The new kiosks will also be located in Harris Teeter stores, and (for now) they are still primarily located in the Greater Raleigh, Fayetteville, and Charlotte regions, with one currently planned for Fort Liberty. According to DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, the kiosks are part of “the work we are doing to shorten lines and wait times by using technology to modernize our customer service and provide more options for customers to get what they need in a timely manner.”
Fayetteville police officer arrested on felony charges. Fayetteville Police Department announced on Thursday that Sgt. Brian Gerber has been arrested and charged with twelve counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, a Class H felony. Gerber has been with the police department since 2017 and was promoted in 2023. The charges stem from his secondary employment as a security guard at Marketfair Shopping Center in Fayetteville. Police Chief Kemberle Braden said Gerber’s alleged actions led to losses of more than $20,000 “over a period of months,” reportedly from writing hours on his timecard, but not reporting to work. “It’s imperative that we have definitions that we work with as police officers. The definition of ethics is one of those things.” Chief Braden also aimed “to assure our community that accountability and transparency are being exercised within the Fayetteville Police Department.” Gerber is no longer with the department, and the investigation is ongoing.
Owner sues after unmodified car ticketed for excessive noise. In late 2023, New York City Council passed the “Stop Spreading the Noise” Act, making so-called “noise cameras” part of the city’s traffic infrastructure. The hidden cameras issue tickets to owners of passing vehicles that exceed noise levels, beginning at $800 and increasing up to $2,500 for repeat offenses. After receiving a ticket, Staten Island man Anthony Aquilino filed a lawsuit against the city arguing that because his car is unmodified, he should be able to drive his car without penalty. “The only remedy would be to sell the vehicle,” Aquilino said, “how else do you fight the fine?” Before you feel too sorry for him, the vehicle in question is a Lamborghini Huracan Performante (MSRP $281,048). Cars are regularly sold capable of exceeding the speed limit, so it will be interesting to see if or how a distinction will be drawn in regard to noise. According to 1010 WINS, the city’s Law Department is reviewing the case, and the Department of Environmental Protection, which controls the noise cameras, stated “The New York City Noise Code, which sets the legal limits for noise within the five boroughs, applies to all motor vehicles, whether they have been modified, or not.”
Tesla: Sleep Mode Activated. WRAL reports a man who fell asleep while his Tesla was traveling along U.S. Highway 70 has been arrested and charged with drug trafficking. Fellow travelers on the highway noticed that the driver, Michael Goodman, appeared to be asleep and called law enforcement. After arriving, Wilson’s Mills police officers were able to confirm Goodman was asleep and saw that they were rapidly approaching the I-40 interchange. Before arriving at the interchange, officers were able to stop the vehicle by positioning their cars in front of the Tesla and engaging its anti-collision sensors. Once stopped, officers had Goodman perform sobriety tests and searched the vehicle, finding multiple boxes of “vape pens” that contained several illegal substances, 200 grams of THC, 400 grams of methamphetamine, and 400 grams of MDMA (ecstasy). In addition to the drug charges, Goodman was charged with two Class 2 misdemeanors, reckless driving and failure to heed lights/sirens.