Crime

A 34-year-old sexual assault case ended Tuesday. In 1979, Jerry Brooks raped at least eight women in Charlotte. He was scheduled to go to trial today but as part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty and received a life sentence.

A CMPD officer charged with voluntary manslaughter after shooting a man 10 times had his first court appearance on Tuesday. At the court hearing, the judge scheduled the next court date for the morning of October 7. Meanwhile, defense attorney Michael Greene says he believes officer Randall Kerrick was justified in his shooting.

Earlier this week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department launched a new crime-mapping system. It's much easier to use, updated more frequently and you can even pull it up on your smartphone.  

There is a glamorous view in the past of the black-suited, stealthy cat burglar but home invasions are far from glamorous. Would-be burglars case neighborhoods and individual homes for weaknesses and entry points. What makes these criminals tick and what drives them to break into a home, putting the homeowner and even themselves at risk? UNC Charlotte researcher, Dr. Joe Kuhns, wanted to get into the mind of the burglar so he sat down with hundreds of them to find out why they break into homes and businesses. He joins us to share his findings as we look through the eyes of a burglar when Charlotte Talks.

The Mecklenburg County Courthouse processes up to 1,600 misdemeanor cases a day. And administrators are always looking for ways to bring that number down so that judges have more manageable caseloads. One of the newest initiatives is mediation. Also known as Citizen's Court.

WFAE's Tasnim Shamma spent a day at Citizen's Court to see how well mediation was working … or not.

We’ve all done things we wish we could take back and start over. It’s harder for some than others – especially if that mistake involves a criminal conviction. But some people with a criminal past can wipe the slate clean if enough time has passed. Melange Health Solutions held a seminar on Tuesday to teach locals how to expunge their records in hopes of increasing their chances at employment.

It was a busy year for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.  The city's crime rate increased by nearly three percent – in large part because of jumps in robberies and domestic violence. But there was some good news in the numbers released Wednesday. 

First there was a significant decrease in burglaries. For example, west Charlotte saw a 20 percent decrease in residential burglaries compared to 2011. Captain Greg Collins credits its partnership with the community and new technology for helping bring that down.