180 Wake County cases dismissed, trooper's credibility in question
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Wake County has dismissed 180 court cases and counting, citing the reliability of a North Carolina state trooper as a witness, District Attorney Lorrin Freeman tells Axios.
Why it matters: Most of those cases involve defendants charged with driving while impaired, Freeman said, and their dismissals prevent the district attorney's office from holding them accountable.
- "To be not able to move forward in doing that in these cases is incredibly disappointing and frustrating," Freeman said.
- Still, Freeman's office has a responsibility to not call witnesses whose credibility is "being questioned and not trusted," she said.
Driving the news: North Carolina state trooper Garrett Macario is under investigation and was placed on administrative leave after Freeman began looking into his involvement in a fatal car accident on Raleigh's Capitol Boulevard in October, court records show.
- After reviewing body cam and dashcam footage related to the crash, Freeman said Macario's "credibility" was "impaired," and she was unwilling to proceed with some cases he was involved in, she said.
Zoom in: The footage captured "the acts and conversations of Trooper Macario" at the wreck, Freeman said, and indicated Macario had provided false or misleading information to Raleigh police officers responding to it, court records show.
- "We are living in an era of body cam and dashcam video," Freeman said. "There are times, when you know, even pending an investigation, the information you have was sufficiently clear."
The latest: Wake County began dismissing dozens of cases last week as a result of Freeman's findings.
- The district attorney's office is also in the process of reviewing cases involving Sgt. Matthew Morrison, and Freeman said she would anticipate dismissals in his cases as well.
- Morrison and Macario were both placed on administrative leave Jan. 10, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said, declining to provide any additional information.
The intrigue: In 2021, Garner Local Heroes, a nonprofit that honors first responders, lauded Macario's performance for being "above and beyond expectations and showed a dedication to our mission which no doubt saved numerous lives," according to a Facebook post from the organization.
- The group noted that in 2020, "Macario arrested 133 impaired drivers, charged 25 other implied consent violations, 88 reckless driving violations, 811 speeding violations, and 71 restraint violations."
What's next: Freeman said she has opened an investigation into the case with the State Bureau of Investigation.