Former Charlotte convict now showing young people the right path

CHARLOTTE — Thursday's eighth grade graduation ceremony at Thomasboro Academy had some special guests: Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney and Mecklenburg County Sheriff-elect Gary McFadden.

Both were there to support a program led by Cedric Dean who was released from federal prison on conspiracy drug charges just six months ago.

McFadden knows Dean from his days working the streets of Charlotte as a beat cop decades ago. He warned the young man about the path he was taking all those years ago. The two stayed in touch even after he was locked up.

That mentorship led to Cedric Dean turning his life around during his 23 years behind bars. He learned to read and write and published 20 books.

Dean also developed a program behind bars focused on character. After his sentence was reduced and he was released, he asked Charlotte community leaders to let him implement the SAVE program at Thomasboro.

"I came up with a character education model," Dean explained. "That teaches them that character they may not get from a mother on drugs or their father that was in prison."

Thursday saw the first graduating class of 15 students from the program.

D'Niya Crenshaw is a rising 9th grader. She was accepted into a pre-college program at UNC-Charlotte.

"He gave us and taught us more than other people have ever taught us," Crenshaw said. "I want to be an author and a businesswoman."

Antoine Shankle also graduated from the program on Thursday and is heading to the UNCC pre-college program. He credits Cedric Dean and the SAVE program for pointing him in the right direction.

"My path before I was in the program, I mean, I was just doing stuff that I knew I had no business doing," Shankle said.

The 14-year-old also delivered a message to other troubled teens making bad decisions right now.

"Just don't give up. You got to keep pushing through it," Shankle said.

The SAVE program has a simple mandate that's focused on making students "job ready" not "prison ready".

"Instead of people just talking about prison reform, they need to really do something about it," said Dean.

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