Democratic state house candidate to stay in race after being jailed

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — Democratic state house candidate Sabrina Berry plans to stay in the race despite being jailed for 11 days.

She was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail last Friday after serving time for a contempt of court charge.

“I’m a working-class candidate with real-life experience,” Berry told Channel 9′s Joe Bruno. “You don’t know what’s broken if, you know, if you haven’t been in it to see what’s broken.”

The contempt charge stems from a messy and lengthy custody dispute with the father of Berry’s daughter. He claims Berry wasn’t allowing him to see their daughter during his scheduled visitation periods. A judge sided with him. The incident stems from 2023 but other contempt filings are still pending. In several court filings, he also accuses her of sexual abuse. She adamantly denies sexual abuse wrongdoing. She claims the allegations were investigated and that she was cleared; she says the Department of Social Services closed the investigation in May. She isn’t facing any additional criminal charges.

“It was unfounded,” she said. “Case closed.”

Berry is facing Republican Brian Echevarria in the race for the 82nd District in Cabarrus County. The 82nd District includes Mount Pleasant, Harrisburg, and part of Concord, including Concord Mills and the airport.

Her custody dispute continues and she will have to return to court. Despite the ongoing legal issues, she says it won’t force her out of the race.

“You have a president with 34 felonies running, there’s no call for him to not run,” she said.

A spokesperson for the North Carolina Democratic Party’s House Caucus says the party is aware of the allegations.

“We are aware of the recent reports regarding Sabrina Berry, including her time spent in Mecklenburg County jail on a contempt of court charge and the allegations made in court paperwork,” Communications Director Sam Lozier said. “While we are deeply troubled by these accusations, we respect the legal process and believe it is crucial to uphold the privacy and rights of all individuals involved. At this time, we will refrain from making any further comments until we know more from the legal proceedings.”

Echevarria said he hopes everything works out for her and that he is focused on the race.

“We are focused on reaching voters with hope for the future and our shared desire to keep our homes affordable and protect us from aggressive property tax increases, public safety, lower income taxes, fewer regulations, and stronger schools,” he said. “Hopefully, her situation will work out for her.”

Berry says she is not deterred by the jailing.

“I will listen, I will learn, and I will lead with the will of the people, not a party,” she said.

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