NC Criminal Law

Jeff Welty on Friday, May 8th, 2026

Just over a week ago, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina. This press release from the United States Department of Justice explains that Comey faces two counts. The first alleges that he “knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of . . . the President of the United States . . . by publicly posting...

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A defendant may plead guilty or not guilty, or, with the consent of the prosecutor and judge, may plead “no contest.” See G.S. 15A-1011(a), (b).

If a defendant pleads guilty to an H or I felony in district court, is placed on probation, and is subsequently charged with violating that probation, the superior court has jurisdiction to hear the violation. But with the consent of the state and the defendant, the district court may hear the violation. G.S. 7A-271(e).

An acquittal under the Double Jeopardy Clause includes a dismissal of a charge for insufficient evidence or an appellate court’s reversal of a conviction for insufficient evidence.

The state is not barred from recharging an offense if it was dismissed because the state’s motion to continue was denied. 

Venue to try an accessory after the fact is proper in any county where the principal could be prosecuted or in the county where the defendant committed acts that form the basis of the charge of accessory after the fact.