NC Criminal Law
This post summarizes the lone published opinion in a criminal case issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals on July 15, 2026.
(1) Possession of multiple concealed firearms on a single occasion is a single offense. (2) The trial court erred by imposing a 24-month period of probation as a community punishment without making specific findings. (3) The trial judge did not improperly consider acquitted conduct during...
A judge must accept a plea arrangement that involves only charges and no sentence recommendation, as long as the judge determines the plea is the product of an informed choice of the defendant and there is a factual basis for the plea. See G.S. 15A-1023(c).
With the consent of all parties, the district court may accept guilty pleas to Class H and I felonies. G.S. 7A-272(c).
Evidence of the victim’s character may be introduced in two circumstances: First, the defendant may introduce evidence of a “pertinent trait” of the victim’s character. G.S. 8C-404(a)(2). The most common example is evidence of the victim’s violent character, offered when the defendant is claiming self-defense. Second, in homicide cases, the state may offer evidence of the victim’s character trait for “peacefulness” to rebut a claim by the defense that the victim was the first aggressor.
If the defendant does not introduce evidence, the defendant has the right to the first and last closing argument.
A criminal charge contained in a pleading must be sufficiently definite to identify the offense, enable the defendant to prepare his or her defense, bar a subsequent prosecution for the same offense, and enable the court to impose judgment.