CharlotteNorthCarolina.com HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS

Charlotte Calendar of Events

Fri
01 Jun La Cage Event: La CageVenue: Belk Theatre at Blumenthal Performing Arts CenterStart: 6/1/2012 8:00:00 PMCategory: THEATRE MUSICAL / P…

---

Fri
01 Jun SugarSmaX Live @ Wild Wing Cafe - University! SugarSmaX Live @ Wild Wing Cafe - University, Charlotte, NC!…

---

Sat
02 Jun La Cage Event: La CageVenue: Belk Theatre at Blumenthal Performing Arts CenterStart: 6/2/2012 2:00:00 PMCategory: THEATRE MUSICAL / P…

---

See More Charlotte Events

Charlotte Area News

Police: Teens seen in surveillance video tagging South End caught

Police are determining whether two teenagers caught on camera spray-painting along the light rail are responsible for vandalism throughout south Charlotte.

The two teens caused thousands of dollars in damage Tuesday night, officials said.

They were caught only because an alert dispatcher was carefully watching a video from miles away.

Transit police officers said they stepped up patrols this week after noticing an uptick in the amount of vandalism happening in south Charlotte.

Police said graffiti gets worse in the summer because there is no school.

Harold Maxwell and Alejandro Martinez, both 18, were caught on a half-dozen security cameras along the light rail. They walked from stop to stop in the South End neighborhood Tuesday night, spray-painting an apartment building, a restaurant, utility boxes and railroad arms.

In total, Maxwell and Martinez caused more than $3,000 worth of damage, officials said. Much of the graffiti is still visible.

"There's a very good chance if you do something like this on our system you're going to get caught," said with CATS' Director of Safety Bryan Leaird. “Hopefully this will discourage any copycats, because you see the network of cameras that we have on our system."

CATS hires private police through the company Allied-Barton.

A dispatcher stationed about two miles away saw the vandalism, and followed the teens on camera until other officers arrived.

The suspects then tried to make a run for it, but they were captured, police said.

Light rail passengers said they are appreciative police take graffiti so seriously.

"They don't think about the cost to the business, the costs to the residents and the effect it has on everybody," said Bryan Geer, the president of the South End Neighborhood Association.

Maxwell and Martinez are each charged with a half-dozen counts of damaging property. They were also charged with resisting arrest.

_{Thu, 31 May 2012 21:58:08 -0400}

Latest in Edwards corruption trial: A news guide

John Edwards' campaign finance fraud case ended in a mistrial Thursday when jurors acquitted him on one of six charges but were unable to decide whether he misused money from two wealthy donors to hide his pregnant mistress while he ran for president.

Q: WHAT WAS REVEALED IN THE TRIAL?

A: The trial exposed a sordid sex scandal that unfolded while Edwards' wife was dying of cancer, but prosecutors couldn't convince jurors that the ex-U.S. senator and 2004 vice presidential candidate masterminded a $1 million cover-up of his affair.

Q: WHAT CHARGE DID JURORS FIND HIM NOT GUILTY?

A: Jurors acquitted him on a charge of accepting illegal campaign contributions, involving $375,000 from elderly heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon in 2008. He had also been charged with illegally accepting $350,000 from Mellon in 2007, other donations from wealthy Texas attorney Fred Baron, filing a false campaign finance report and conspiracy.

Q: WHAT DID THE JURORS SAY?

A: The jurors, who deliberated nine days, did not talk to the media as they left the courthouse.

Q: WILL THERE BE A RETRIAL?

A: Although prosecutors did not immediately comment on whether they would seek to retry Edwards, a knowledgeable law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday that it's unlikely the Justice Department will retry Edwards.

Q: DID EDWARDS SAY ANYTHING?

A: Edwards said from the courthouse steps: "While I do not believe I did anything illegal, or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong and there is no one else responsible for my sins."

He also choked up when talking about the daughter he had with mistress Rielle Hunter. He called Frances Quinn Hunter precious "whom I love, more than any of you can ever imagine and I am so close to and so, so grateful for. I am grateful for all of my children."

Q: WHAT'S NEXT FOR EDWARDS?

A: After the trial, Edwards said: "I don't think God's through with me. I really believe he thinks there's still some good things I can do." He alluded to his goal to help poor kids in the U.S. and around the world.

Q: WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MOST DRAMATIC MOMENTS IN THE TRIAL?

A: During emotional testimony that saw Edwards' 30-year-old daughter flee the courtroom in tears, former campaign advisor Christina Reynolds recounted an October 2007 fight at a Raleigh airport where an enraged Elizabeth Edwards confronted her husband about his affair, ripping open her shirt and baring her chest.

Former aide Andrew Young testified that when Edwards learned Hunter was pregnant, his first reaction was to express doubt he was the father and call his mistress a "crazy slut."

Young also described his climactic last meeting with Edwards in August 2008 on a secluded road near the former senator's Chapel Hill mansion. Young said Edwards was nervous and acting so paranoid the aide feared his boss had hired men to shoot him.

_{Thu, 31 May 2012 21:18:21 -0400}

Military: Greensboro native killed in Afghanistan

Military officials say a sailor from Greensboro has been killed in Afghanistan.   

The Department of Defense announced Thursday that Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean E. Brazas died May 30 while conducting combat operations in Panjwa'l.   

Brazas was assigned to Naval Base Kitsap Security Detachment in Bremerton, Wash.

_{Thu, 31 May 2012 21:16:35 -0400}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories