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THE DEFENDERS: NC criminals on the run, committing new crimes, including murder

The director of the North Carolina Community Corrections said the public should not be concerned about the roughly 13,000 probationers and parolees whose whereabouts are unknown, but public records show some of those people are accused of hurting and even killing people in just the last two weeks.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The director of the North Carolina Community Corrections said the public should not be concerned about the roughly 13,000 probationers and parolees whose whereabouts are unknown, but public records show some of those people are accused of hurting and even killing people in just the last two weeks.

RELATED: More than 13,000 on probation, parole missing, NC records say

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety's violent crime report shows two absconders faced new murder charges earlier this month.

Investigators charged Alkeen Hair with murder after a woman died in Fayetteville earlier this month. McDowell County officers arrested Walter S. Mitchell on a murder charge earlier this month too. In addition, Buncombe County investigators arrested Chelsea Griffith for a serious hit and run.

Meanwhile, Devin J. Goode of Charlotte, who remains on the run, faces multiple new charges, including breaking and entering with the intent to terrorize or injure and assaulting a woman.

State records show all four were considered absconders when the state received alerts that they committed new crimes.

Goode's criminal history includes several counts of breaking and entering. The fugitive was on probation when he dropped off the radar and then reportedly committed new crimes.

"No, you shouldn't be concerned," Community Corrections Director Tracy Lee said when asked about the high number of probationers and parolees on the run. "We're actively trying to capture these absconders."

Bea Cote works with domestic violence abusers through an intervention program she founded. While she said the probation officers she works with are doing a great job, she believes the numbers are alarming.

"We should be concerned about any of them," the executive director of IMPACT said. "Imagine how you might feel if you've been victimized by this person and now, nobody knows where he is. He's on the loose."

Cote said not all domestic violence is physical but when it turns physical, that is often an indicator of what's to come. State records show nearly 600 of the state's absconders are already guilty of assault on a female. That misdemeanor is one of the many charges Goode now faces.

"If they've been convicted of that and they're on the run, we've got a reason to worry. We've got a reason to worry for her safety," Cote said. " I think about what they're out there doing. These are people who are up to no good."

Director Lee said after someone under state supervision commits a new crime, Community Corrections reviews that person's file.

"They take a look at the file and make sure that what we are doing is appropriate...and make sure that we were trying to program with the offender the right way," he said.

Here is a list of all 13,000 fugitives. If you know where these people are, don't approach them. Instead, call 911.


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