Police investigating fake press releases



The Huntersville Police Department has opened an investigation into two incidents of faked press releases sent to local media containing fraudulent information about an officer.



Chief Philip Potter announced this week the e-mails were being investigated but declined to go into further detail, citing personnel and investigative concerns.



“These are potentially criminal acts,” Potter said. “We’re taking this very seriously.”



The e-mails were sent from fake e-mail accounts on Oct. 20 and 27 to a number of local media outlets, including the Herald Weekly staff, who chose not to publish them. Two local television stations did publish information from the releases but removed them from their websites when police disputed the claims.



The first e-mail released implicated two officers in different illegal acts, neither of which have been verified by police. Lt. Kirk Marcus, who was mentioned in that e-mail, is being investigated by the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office and has been placed on administrative leave from the Huntersville department. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has not released what they are investigating.



Accusations in the second e-mail were called “exaggerated” and “mostly an entire lie” by some police officers who were aware of the investigation.



Police reports



HUNTERSVILLE – Excluding routine citations, the Huntersville Police Department reported the following charges, including the places and dates of arrests, from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31:



• Joseph Edward Kane, 21, assault on a government official, at 20008 West Catawba Ave. Oct. 25.
• Donald Howard Brown, 64, DWI, at I-77. Oct. 25.
• Ke’ondra Morray Horace, 16, assault, at North Mecklenburg High School, 11201 Old Statesville Road. Oct. 26.
• Marcus Maurice Luckey, 25, possession of stolen property, at 14624 Northgreen Drive. Oct. 27.
• Michael Ray Thorne, 18, possession of stolen property, at 14624 Northgreen Drive. Oct. 27.
• Alejandro Martinez Emcarnacion, 24, carrying a concealed knife, at South Main Street. Oct. 27.
• Michael James Martin, 17, possession of marijuana, at Hopewell High School, at 11530 Beatties Ford Road. Oct. 28.
• Angela Sue Odell, 38, DWI, at 15499 Sam Furr Road. Oct. 29.
• Gregory Alphonso Hicks, 24, possession of drug paraphernalia, at I-77. Oct. 30.
• Bonnie Davis, 29, DWI, at I-77. Oct. 31.
• Kristen Ann Sanfilippo, 26, DWI, at 15722 Gathering Oaks Drive. Oct. 31.
• Jeffrey Broughton Beck, 41, DWI, at 10600 Sam Furr Road. Oct. 31.

CORNELIUS – Excluding routine citations, the Cornelius Police Department reported the following charges, including the places and dates of arrests, from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31:



• Jeffrey Steven Armstrong, 48, possession of marijuana, at 172 Castaway Trail. Oct. 26.
• Gregory James Knopp, 23, assault on a female, at 21440 Catawba Ave. Oct. 26.
• Marine Comardo, 24, DWI, at 21126 Catawba Ave. Oct. 26.
• Vincent Leon Henderson, 44, felony maintaining a dwelling to sell drugs, sell and deliver cocaine and possession with intent to sell, deliver cocaine, at 21204 Pine St. Oct. 27.
• Harold Jackson Torrence, 59, felony possession with intent to sell deliver cocaine, deliver cocaine, selling cocaine, at 19827 Northport Drive. Oct. 27.
• Anthony Levi Hailerty, 35, DWI, at 20500 Torrence Chapel Road. Oct. 28.
• Justin Kale Bailey, 18, injury to real property, at 19000 Carter Circle. Oct. 28.
• James Preston Carter, 54, DWI, at 20900 Academy St. Oct. 30.



• Cara Melissa Howell, 22,  DWI, at 17301 Statesville Road. Oct. 30.
• Mark Joseph Sarday, 27, DWI, at 9700 Caldwell Commons. Oct. 30.
• Nicholas Joseph Caplan, 42, DWI, at 20125 N. Main St. Oct. 30.
• Sydney Knox, 18, resisting arrest, at 19699 Center St. Oct. 31.
• Torri Kerns, 26, disorderly conduct, at 19699 center Street. Oct. 31. • Lastacia Darnell Simelton, 20, drunk and disruptive, at 19699 Center Street. Oct. 31.



DAVIDSON – Excluding routine citations, the Davidson Police Department reported the following charges, including the places and dates of arrests, from Oct. 24 to Oct. 30:



• Benjamin Isenhour, 38, DWI, at Faust Road. Oct. 28.



HUNTERSVILLE – Excluding routine citations, the Huntersville Police Department reported the following charges, including the places and dates of arrests, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1:

Burglary
• 200 block of Columbia Drive. Oct. 25.
• 11200 block of Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road. Oct. 25.
• 8500 block of Streamview Drive. Oct. 25.
• 14100 block of Tooley St. Oct. 25.
• 10100 block of Truitt Court. Oct. 26.
• 11200 block of Arlen Park Drive. Oct. 27.
• 12100 block of Ulsten Lane. Oct. 28.

Car break-in
• 16600 block of Greenfarm Road. Oct. 26.
• Fastner Supply Company, at 16109 Greenfarm Road. Oct. 26.
• 9400 block of St. Barts Lane. Oct. 26.
• 16400 block of Greenfarm Road. Oct. 26.
• 16300 block of Statesville Road. Oct. 26.
• 14600 block of Northgreen Drive. Oct. 27.
• 14100 block of Rocky Top Drive. Oct. 27.
• 14200 block of Holbrooks Road. Oct. 30.
• 12100 block of Statesville Road. Oct. 31.

Shoplifting
• CVS, at 9931 Gilead Road. Oct. 25.
• CVS, at 9931 Gilead Road. Oct. 27.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods, at 8825 Townley Road. Oct. 27.

Theft
• 9000 block of Richford Drive. Oct. 28.
• 1400 block of Vermillion Drive. Oct. 28.
• 140 block of Church Street. Nov. 1.



Vandalism
• 13600 block of Delstone Drive. Oct. 29.
• 14300 block of Oakhill Park Lane. Oct. 31.



CORNELIUS – Excluding routine citations, the Cornelius Police Department reported the following charges, including the places and dates of arrests, from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31:

Burglary
• Fifi’s Fine Resale Apparel, at 8301 Magnolia Estates Drive. Oct. 25.
• 20200 block of N. Main Street. Oct. 29.
• 7600 block of Woods Lane. Oct. 31.



Car break-in
• 19400 block of Liverpool Parkway. Oct. 26.
• 19700 block of One Norman Boulevard. Oct. 26.
• 16300 block of Jetton Road. Oct. 30.

Theft
• 12400 block of Bailey Road. Oct. 26.

Vandalism
• 7600 block of Mariner Cove Drive. Oct. 27.
• 19200 block of Carter Circle. Oct. 28.