Election 2026: Prisoners in historic release by Cooper consistent in pattern

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(The Center Square) – More than 700 prisoners released in addition to U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper’s historic settlement-based 3,500 have a pattern consistent with either homicide, sex offenses, other violent felonies and recidivism.

At first without names publicly known and with the Department of Public Safety saying prisoners convicted of crimes against other people were ineligible, the more than 4,200 have emerged as anything but and many are back in jail for new crimes. The number beyond 3,500 released by the former governor’s subordinates included 24 charged in homicide-related offenses and 99 charged with sex offenses.

More than 1 in 4 – 195, or 27.7% – originally went to jail charged with homicide, sex offenses or violent felonies; and 349 since their release have new charges. Of the latter, 125 have charges of homicide, sex offense or violent felony.

Cooper, governor of North Carolina after winning elections in 2016 and 2020, last week stepped away from responsibility of the settlement in the case NAACP v. Roy Cooper. He told a gaggle of reporters at a campaign stump “the court ordered this,” said he fought the release of the prisoners because he thought it would be more, and accused Republican opponent Michael Whatley of lying about what transpired.

He said in part, “Prison officials made the decisions regarding specific prisoners.”

With his name on the settlement as defendant, and the secretary of the Department of Public Safety his appointment choice, the hollowed response is a promised forecast for amplification.

The Feb. 25, 2021, statement from the Department of Public Safety included no public release of names or searchable database. It said criteria for the release was those who may be pregnant, already on home leave with a 2021 projected release date, already on work release with a 2021 release date, or have a 2021 projected release date.

Specifically, it said for inmates to be considered, “offenders must NOT be serving a sentence for a crime against a person.”

Names did go public earlier this year. And journalist Stephen Horn has provided the database.

While Cooper is most upset with Whatley about including DeCarlos Brown Jr. – suspect in Charlotte death of Iryna Zarutska that went viral and debated because his earlier release counted toward the 3,500 – when he speaks of the release, there are others. Enough, in fact, for different Republican strategists each week to pitch “Roy Cooper’s Felon Friday” (since Feb. 27) and “Roy Cooper’s Worst of the Worst Wednesday” (since April 22).

And still not get some of the most heinous.

Yet to appear, though likely, is Randy Sharpe Jr. In 2019, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and possession of a firearm by a felon. He shot his girlfriend in the leg while in a car and drove away with her 5-year-old.

Since release, he’s charged in a June 2022 homicide in addition to fatally killing two – a mother and son – while driving 100 mph in a December 2022 auto crash.

Lesselle Spencer is another. He was convicted in 2011 in a case where prosecutors said he tried to run over an officer, on foot with gun drawn, following a car chase. In 2025, he was convicted of first-degree murder – having gone to a Big Lots store where his girlfriend was fired, and killed a man execution-style with a gunshot to the chest as the man's wife of 35 years awaited him in the car.

He’s had 14 infractions with prison officials since sentencing, including setting fires.

Calvin Locklear is another yet to make the Wednesday and Friday lists. He was jailed after a 2011 manslaughter conviction from a 2008 armed robbery. Even though he stabbed other inmates with pencils, he got out in 2020 only to return with parole revoked.

Nineteen days after his June 2021 release, a plan to steal cash and marijuana led to shooting a man to death and injuring his teenage daughter.

Cooper has led in the polling and the campaign donations since he and Whatley declared intent officially a year ago on July 28 and 31, respectively. Whatley trails significantly in name recognition more than 11 months later.

Republicans in statewide races for this decade – 2020, 2022 and 2024 – are 32-10 against Democrats, a party with significantly declining voter registrations for more than 20 consecutive years.

Republicans are 5-for-5 in U.S. Senate races since losing to the late Kay Hagan in 2008. Democrats chase back to 1998 for the last time winning a Senate seat at the midterms.