Virginia Bridges

Raleigh

Criminal Justice Reporter at The News & Observer

Criminal Justice Reporter at The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC)

Exploring what is & isn't working in NC's criminal justice system for @newsobserver and @TheHerald_Sun. #iteam Send tips to [email protected].

Featured in: Favicon

newsobserver.com Favicon

heraldsun.com Favicon

msn.com

yahoo.com (+6) Favicon

stuff.co.nz Favicon

seattletimes.com Favicon

miamiherald.com Favicon

washingtontimes.com Favicon

bostonherald.com Favicon

madison.com + 104 more

Articles

Ex-NC trooper pleads guilty, ending case accusing him of helping teen evade DUI

1 week ago | charlotteobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

A former North Carolina state trooper pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors Thursday after he had a sexual relationship with a teen he cited for driving while intoxicated, and then helped her get the case dismissed, according to statements made in court Thursday. Erick Bowen pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and failing to discharge his duties, class-one misdemeanors. Bowen, hired in 2020 in the district that includes Warren County, resigned on May 7, according to the State Highway Patrol.
Raleigh police video released from 2024 fatal wreck shows NC trooper on scene

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges |Lexi Solomon |Cathy Clabby

Raleigh police video released by court order shows a state trooper saying he "came upon" the scene of the October 2024 crash that killed Tyrone Mason. When asked if he was pulling the driver over, the trooper said no. "It's the little area I work, so when I came up on it, I saw all the smoke and heard all the cars hitting the debris," he said.
Cary’s Waverly Place rezoned for taller and denser development as crowd boos

2 weeks ago | heraldsun.com | Virginia Bridges

A portion of Waverly Place was rezoned to build up to seven stories. [email protected] The firm behind the Fenton development in Cary will be able to renovate another of the town’s malls. The Cary Town Council unanimously agreed Thursday night to rezone a portion of Waverly Place to allow up to seven-story buildings for 750 apartments, 30,000 square feet of commercial space and a parking garage.
Mother's lawsuit accuses NC trooper of unsafe chase, not helping son after crash

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

The mother of a man who died in a fatal Raleigh wreck last year filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing a North Carolina state trooper of initiating a dangerous chase and then failing to help the driver after he slammed into a concrete barrier. The lawsuit was filed by Henrietta Mason against State Trooper Garrett Macario, who tried to pull over her son, Tyrone Mason, on Oct.
NC troopers accused of lying after Raleigh crash won't be charged, Wake DA says

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

Photos of Tyrone Mason are seen on the walls of the home of his mother, Henrietta Mason, on Friday, May 16, 2025. Mason died after his 2018 Chevrolet Malibu slammed into a concrete barrier on Capital Boulevard on Oct. 7, 2024. The News & Observer Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman won't charge a trooper and his supervisor at the center of an investigation on whether they lied to Raleigh police about a trooper's involvement in a fatal crash.
How a mother's quest for truth about son's death ignited probe into NC troopers

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

Mere hours after police told Henrietta Mason that her son died in a single-car crash in Raleigh, she knew someone was lying. The Durham mother was asleep on the couch with her 3-year-old granddaughter when two Raleigh police officers steadily knocked on her door around 3 a.m. on Oct. 7. Her son, Tyrone Mason, 31, died in his 2018 Black Chevrolet Malibu on Capital Boulevard about 30 minutes before, they said.
Media, Raleigh Police want NC state trooper videos. What the judge said.

3 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

Raleigh police investigated a fatal, single-car crash on Capital Boulevard early Monday morning, Oct. 7, 2024. Tyrone Mason, 31, was killed when his 2018 Chevrolet Malibu collided with a concrete jersey barrier at 2:32 a.m., according to a news release. ABC11 A North Carolina judge agreed to release North Carolina Highway Patrol videos expected to show whether a state trooper told the truth about his role in a fatal Raleigh crash.
Media, Raleigh Police want NC state trooper videos. What the judge said.

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Virginia Bridges

A North Carolina judge agreed to release state and local law enforcement videos expected to show whether a state trooper told the truth about his role in a fatal Raleigh crash. “I do find that the release of these videos is necessary to advance a compelling public interest, namely, confidence in law enforcement,” said Superior Court Judge Thomas Currin Friday. The videos should be released as soon as possible, but no later than in four days, Currin said.
Convicted killer mistakenly freed from NC prison charged in recent Wake shooting

3 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

Jonathan Santillan, then 17, was one of two teens accused of murdering Jose and Maria Saravia Mendoza in 2013. He's pictured entering the courtroom at his murder trial Tuesday, August 25, 2015, at the Wake County Justice Center in Raleigh, NC. A jury convicted Santillan of two counts of first-degree murder in adult court. [email protected] Jonathan Santillan was 15 years old when he sprayed bullets into a Garner duplex in 2013, killing an innocent couple amid a gang dispute, prosecutors said.
Did NC trooper lie about what he did before fatal Raleigh wreck? What we know.

3 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Virginia Bridges

On Friday a judge is scheduled to consider whether police and the public can view video expected to show whether a state trooper told the truth about his role in a fatal Raleigh crash. On Oct. 7, Tyrone Mason's 2018 Chevrolet Malibu slammed into a concrete barrier around 2:32 a.m. The 31-year-old was pronounced dead near the crash site on Capital Boulevard, according to a state medical examiner's report.