CHARLOTTE — Iryna’s Law has been one strategy in North Carolina to address the issue of criminals getting out of jail and committing more crimes. So, is it working?
9 Investigates looked at the 16 people in Mecklenburg County who racked up the most charges in 2025 to see if the law is making a difference.
The law is named for Iryna Zarutska, the young woman who was killed on a light rail train in Charlotte’s South End. The law is designed to keep repeat offenders behind bars longer.
The top repeat offenders in Charlotte in 2025 had 145 criminal charges between them. They would get arrested and released over and over again.
That includes John Callicoatte, who was arrested the most. He was taken into custody 12 times, racking up 24 charges, 18 of which were drug-related.
Darius Sturghill was arrested nine times, but police charged him 36 times, 33 of them tied to breaking and entering, the other three were associated with meth.
And then there’s Xavier Mitchell, with 16 charges across eight arrests ranging from domestic violence to felony conspiracy. And like the others, this isn’t his first run-in with the law
“My pelvis was shattered. I didn’t walk for three months, and I had to have surgery two days before my 20th birthday,” said Kayla Kennedy.
Kennedy told Channel 9 that all of that was caused by Xavier Mitchell in 2022.
Mitchell was driving a stolen vehicle and being chased by CMPD when he T-boned Kennedy’s Jeep on Elizabeth Avenue.
In our 2022 report on the crime, we found 15 prior mugshots. Since then, he’s added at least 19 more.
“I kind of thought that that was the point of being arrested: is that you go to jail, you serve your time, and you learn something from it,” Kennedy said.
How is it possible to be arrested time after time, take mugshot after mugshot, and still be out on the streets?
In some cases, it’s because of the courts. Take Alishia Bush, for example. She was arrested 11 times in 2025. Court records for five of the arrests remain online and show she was given an unsecured bond for at least five of them, meaning she didn’t have to pay anything to get out of jail.
Those five arrests were for trespassing, resisting arrest and kicking a cop at Midnight Diner.
“It’s ridiculous and insulting,” said state Rep. Tricia Cotham.
Cotham says repeat offenders were the inspiration behind Iryna’s Law.
The 2025 bill she helped author was named after Iryna Zarutska, who police say was stabbed to death on a light rail trail by repeat offender DeCarlos Brown.
The law went into effect last December. It cracked down on pretrial release, taking away the written promise to appear as a permissible type of release. It also requires a secured bond for anyone convicted of three or more offenses in separate court sessions in the past 10 years
“I hear the other side all the time being more focused on the actual criminal and be worried about the bedding, the sheets for a criminal in bed. I’m about the families. I’m about the victims and about law and order,” Cotham said.
We can go back to Bush for an example of that law in practice. CMPD arrested her in July after an auto worker said Bush spit on her and hit her in the face after she told Bush to leave the property. Because of Iryna’s Law, citing her criminal history, the magistrate ordered her held on no bond.
When Bush appeared before a judge a day later, the judge set it at $2,000, secured. That meant it required payment in order for Bush to be released.
She remained in jail until three weeks ago, when her charges were dismissed because she was found incapable to proceed. It’s unclear where she is right now.
Iryna’s Law has filled up the jails. These repeat offenders often stay incarcerated longer on charges they otherwise would be released for.
Joshua Forcier is an example of this. The career criminal was given a $1,000 secured bond when he was arrested last March for breaking into Clutch. He paid $100 and was released the next day. Over the next 15 days, he broke into four more places and was arrested for credit card fraud. He was sentenced to serve between 8 to 19 months in prison.
He was released this past September and police say he continued his criminal ways, breaking into Clutch again and Alexander Michael’s. But this time his bond was set at $10,000, secured. He remains in jail to this day.
Alexander Michael’s owner Steve Casner hopes it stays that way.
“I get it that they have guidelines they have to follow, but again, when somebody does this has this many break-ins, and it’s just automatic. As soon as he’s out of jail, he’s right back,” Casner said.
Like the break-in at Alexander Michael’s, repeat offenders frequently get in trouble in Uptown.
Friends of Fourth Ward President Nathan Hoffman suspects this is because of the proximity of the homeless shelters and the hustle and bustle of Center City. But he says CMPD has done a great job launching initiatives targeting Uptown crime, like the entertainment district unit focused on nightlife safety and the Crown Initiative focused on quality-of-life crimes.
“I think that there is a bigger focus on repeat offenders, and there’s more mind thought on trying to figure this out. I think Uptown in general is a much safer place as a nucleus,” Hoffman said.
Back to Xavier Mitchell, the man who caused the crash while trying to get away from police. He’s still committing crimes, according to CMPD.
A patron at Prohibition claimed in April that he blacked out after going to the bar and woke up under a tree with his wallet and phone stolen. CMPD said they charged Mitchell after he was caught trying to sell it. That charge was dismissed by a grand jury. He has at least four pending charges right now. None of this surprises Kennedy.
“He just keeps doing the same thing over and over again,” Kennedy said.
She’s thankful for a second chance at life, even though Mitchell is constantly given second chances at freedom.
Who reoffended the most in Mecklenburg County across 2025?
For this story, we looked into the arrest histories of the following individuals, along with their charges:
- Callicoatte, John Albert - 12 arrests
- Possess marijuana up to 1/2 oz
- C/S-sch V- possess
- C/S poss MJ >1/2 to 1 1/2 oz
- Second degree trespass
- C/S-sch II- simple possession
- Second degree trespass
- C/S-sch II- simple possession
- Simple possess sch IV CS (M)
- Simple assault
- Second degree trespass
- Possess marijuana up to 1/2 oz
- PWISD marijuana
- Second degree trespass
- C/S-sch II- simple possession
- PWISD marijuana
- PWISD marijuana
- C/S poss MJ >1/2 to 1 1/2 oz
- Second degree trespass
- PWISD marijuana
- PWISD marijuana
- C/S hire/use minor >13 defendant >=21
- PWISD marijuana
- C/S hire/use minor >13 defendant >=21
- C/S sch VI- conspire sell/deliver mariju
- Bush, Alishia Trava - 11 arrests
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Trespass - first degree
- Second degree trespass
- Communicating threats
- Larceny after break/enter
- Larceny after break/enter
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Assault govt official/emply
- Second degree trespass
- Coffey, Haven Thomas - 10 arrests
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Trespass - first degree
- Trespass - first degree
- Second degree trespass
- Breaking or entering (M)
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Second degree trespass
- Grady, Donnell Lamar - 10 arrests
- Injury to personal property
- Injury to personal property
- Resisting public officer
- Resisting public officer
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Indecent exposure
- Common law robbery
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Injury to personal property
- Indecent exposure
- Breaking and or entering
- Resisting public officer
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Injury to personal property
- Simple assault
- Disorderly conduct
- Common law robbery
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Polk, Elijah Lee - 10 arrests
- Assault on a female
- Injury to real property
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Resisting public officer
- Injury to real property
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Injury to real property
- Mal conduct by prisoner/throw
- Injury to personal property
- Resisting public officer
- Second degree trespass
- Injury to real property
- Mal conduct by prisoner/throw
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Black, Shena Makeeba - 9 arrests
- Second degree trespass
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Second degree trespass
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Second degree trespass
- Edmond-Cathy, Sadie - 9 arrests
- DV protective order violation
- DV protective order violation
- Common law robbery
- Larceny of motor vehicle
- Simple assault
- DV protective order violation
- DV protective order violation
- Assault phy inj LE/prob/par of felony
- Resisting public officer
- Assault govt official/emply
- Assault govt official/emply
- Assault govt official/emply
- Assault govt official/emply
- Second degree trespass
- Disorderly conduct
- Breaking or entering (M)
- Injury to personal property
- Resisting public officer
- Breaking or entering (M)
- Quimbley, Bradley Kendell - 9 arrests
- Felony larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- DV protective order violation
- Misdemeanor larceny
- DV protective order violation
- DV protective order violation
- Breaking and/or entering (misdemeanor)-W
- Second degree trespass
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Shoplifting concealment goods
- Second degree trespass
- Breaking and/or entering (misdemeanor)-W
- Resisting public officer
- Sturghill, Darius James - 9 arrests
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter
- Larceny after break/enter
- Safecracking
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Possess methamphetamine felony
- Breaking or entering (M)
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Possession of burglary tools
- Possess methamphetamine
- Larceny after break/enter felony
- Larceny after break/enter felony
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter felony
- Possession of burglary tools felony
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter
- Break/enter motor veh f
- Break/enter motor veh f
- Break/enter motor veh f
- Break/enter motor veh f
- Felony larceny
- Felony larceny
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Break/enter motor veh
- Larceny after break/enter
- Breaking and or entering (F)
- Larceny after break/enter f
- Ayers, Destiny Marie - 8 arrests
- Fugitive/extradition other state
- Larceny of motor vehicle (felony)
- Felony possession sch II CS
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Possess stolen motor vehicle
- Break/enter motor veh
- Break/enter motor veh
- Felony larceny
- Larceny of motor vehicle (felony)
- Attempt break/enter motor veh
- Baldwin, Edward Mitchell - 8 arrests
- Second degree trespass
- C/S-sch - S/D counterfeit substance
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- First deg tresp-infrastruct-M
- Possess marijuana up to 1/2 oz
- Indecent exposure
- Misdemeanor stalking
- Second degree trespass
- See paperwork for charge
- Second degree trespass
- C/S poss MJ >1/2 to 1 1/2 oz
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Resisting public officer
- Communicating threats
- Possess methamphetamine
- Felony possession sch II CS
- Second degree trespass
- Resisting public officer
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- C/S poss MJ >1/2 to 1 1/2 oz
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Resisting public officer
- Second degree trespass
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Davis, De’Sean - 8 arrests
- Injury to real property
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Resisting public officer
- Resisting public officer
- Simple assault
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Resisting public officer
- Injury to real property
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Resisting public officer
- Resisting public officer
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Second degree trespass
- Poss F-WN/LQ/MXBV < 21
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Second degree trespass
- Poss F-WN/LQ/MXBV < 21
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Second degree trespass
- Poss F-WN/LQ/MXBV < 21
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Resisting public officer
- Love, Simone Danielle - 8 arrests
- Breaking and or entering
- Break/enter motor veh
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Attempt break/enter motor veh
- Larceny of motor vehicle (felony)
- Break/enter motor vehicle - $
- Larceny of motor vehicle (felony)
- Break/enter motor veh
- Resisting public officer
- Attempt break/enter motor veh
- Miron, Antonio Perez - 8 arrests
- Shoplifting concealment goods
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Burning personal property
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- C/S-sch II- simple possession
- Resisting public officer
- Lar remove/dest/deact compo
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Assault with a deadly weapon
- Resisting public officer
- Felony possession sch II CS
- Breaking or entering (M)
- Possess drug paraphernalia
- Lar remove/dest/deact compo
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Mitchell, Xavier Oneil - 8 arrests
- Felony conspiracy
- Felony larceny
- Receive stolen goods/property
- Simple assault
- Second degree trespass
- Assault by strangulation
- Assault on a female
- Communicating threats
- Misd crime of dom violence
- Second degree trespass
- Felony conspiracy
- Obtain property false pretense
- Poss stolen goods/prop (F)
- M/S/D/P CS w/n 1000ft of park
- PWISD cocaine
- PWISD marijuana
- Second degree trespass
- Reckless driving to endanger
- White, Brian Lee - 8 arrests
- Robbery with dangerous weapon
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Probation violation
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Felony larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Misdemeanor larceny
- Breaking and/or entering (felony)- with
- Larceny after break/enter
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