Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., joins 'Fox News Live' to discuss DeCarlos Brown Jr.'s early release from prison despite having fourteen prior arrests. the possible responsibility of former Gov. Roy Cooper.
Democratic Senate candidate andformer North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooperis being ripped as a "complete failure" after hundreds of inmates released under his administration as part of a COVID-era agreement were rearrested on new charges within two years.
This comes as Cooper is locked in a heated Senate race with Republican Michael Whatley that could help determine. party controls the chamber. A spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign dismissed the criticisms as "blatant lies from Republicans," pointing to how the former governor fought the releases in court. The spokesperson also said thousands of prisoners were released during the firstTrump administrationdue to COVID-19.
A Fox News Digital review of data from the North Carolina Sentencing. Policy Advisory Commission found that more than 560 inmates released during the Cooper administration went on to be arrested on charges of new offenses within two years of their release.
The agreement resulted in the release of 3,500 inmates over a 180-day period from February to August 2021. Among those released was Tyrell Brace. who was later charged with first-degree murder in the killing of young father Elante Thompson in Charlotte. Brace previously pleaded guilty to assault by strangulation. assault inflicting serious injury and also had felony larceny and breaking-and-entering convictions.North CarolinaDepartment of Public Safety Adult Correction records indicate Brace was released months earlier than originally scheduled. The shooting took place on Jan. 29, 2022, shortly after Brace's original Jan. 15 release date.
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Gov. Roy Cooper speaks during a North Carolina League of Municipalities meeting at Foothills Higher Education Conference Center in Morganton. N.C., on Nov. 8, 2024.(Andrew Nelles/USA Today Network)
Another released inmate. Daron Owens, went on to be sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon stemming from a drive-by shooting months after his release that left a victim with gunshot wounds. Owens was released a month early.
Cooper’s Senate opponent. Republican Michael Whatley, ripped into him, posting on X that "Roy Cooper was a complete failure at keeping our communities safe."
"Victims’ families deserve answers," he continued, adding, "Why did Roy Cooper allow these dangerous criminals back on our streets?"
The mass release stemmed from a 2020 lawsuit filed by the North Carolina NAACP, ACLU. other groups, which argued that crowded prison conditions during the pandemic put inmates at unconstitutional risk. The plaintiffs initially pushed for the release of thousands more inmates. But the state ultimately settled the case in early 2021, agreeing to reduce the prison population through expanded early releases, parole reviews. other measures, resulting in about 3,500 inmates being released.
The move has been criticized by Republicans as one of the largest mass prisoner releases in the country. At the time. Cooper’s administration emphasized that the releases would focus on nonviolent offenders, though officials later acknowledged that individuals convicted of violent crimes were also included.
Court records show some inmates released during the period had extensive felony histories, including crimes involving assault,sexual offenses, kidnapping. offenses against children.
Data reviewed by Fox News Digital found that from a sample group of 1,180 prisoners. 48%, 566, were later arrested on charges of new offenses. From the sample group, 20% have been convicted.
Besides Brace. Owens, another individual released was Jimmie Speight, who was convicted of indecent liberty with a child and failure to register as a sex offender and was released just under nine months early. In 2023, he was sentenced to more than 32 years in prison for second-degree murder.
Another, Kyshuan Norrell, who was convicted of manslaughter, was also released. has since been sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder.
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North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley speaks at a primary election night watch party in Charlotte. N.C., on March 3, 2026.(Erik Verduzco/AP)
Whatley campaign spokesperson DJ Griffin drilled into the former governor over these releases. telling Fox News Digital that "Roy Cooper has blood on his hands."
Griffin posited. Cooper’s "dangerous decision to release thousands of convicted felons during COVID has resulted in the deaths of 19 North Carolinians."
"Now, victims’ families say he is solely to blame for these deaths. All while Cooper refuses to take any responsibility for his actions," said Griffin.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) also piled on Cooper. calling the releases "INSANE," in an X post, adding, "Roy Cooper must answer for this."
Bernadette Breslin, a national press secretary for the NRSC, told Fox News Digital that the agreement amounted to the Democrat having "aided. abetted the release of thousands of violent criminals onto North Carolina’s streets," adding, "Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies are too dangerous for North Carolina families."
In response, a spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign dismissed the criticisms, telling Fox News Digital that "these blatant lies from Republicans have been fact-checked for months. found to be false."
The spokesperson said that "after Roy fought against these releases in court, North Carolina law enforcement officials. parole officers looked to similar criteria President Trump used a year prior when his administration released thousands of federal prisoners due to COVID-19."
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Press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Sept. 9, 2025, alongside photos of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska and Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused in her killing.(Saul Loeb/AFP)
"Keeping the public safe is Roy Cooper’s top priority. which is why he refused to commute sentences when outside groups asked him to during the pandemic," the spokesperson continued.
They added, "While Roy spent his career putting rapists. violent criminals behind bars, Michael Whatley spent his appointing a convicted child sex predator who served time in prison for multiple counts of felony child sex crimes to a powerful position within the North CarolinaRepublican Party."
Harvey West Jr., a registered sex offender who served prison time for child sex crimes, later held leadership. committee roles within the North Carolina GOP during Whatley’s tenure as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. Whatley has said that West "was elected on his own," according to theWashington Examiner. Meanwhile, West has said that Whatley appointed him to the to the Plan of Organization Committee in 2021. 2024, according to local outletWRAL News.
This comes as North Carolina leaders have faced scrutiny for high-profile murders, such as the killing of Ukrainian refugeeIryna Zarutska. Republicans have alleged that the man charged with Zarutska’s murder. Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., may have been one of the inmates released under the COVID agreement. However, Cooper has denied this as a "lie."
Local outletCharlotte Observerreported a North Carolina Department of Adult Correction spokesperson saying that Brown was not released early. The outlet reported. state officials said Brown's release was included in the settlement releases "because the settlement allowed the state to count certain cases retroactively to meet its terms."
Brown had been arrested at least 14 times prior to the killing. previously served time in North Carolina prison after a 2015 armed robbery conviction. He was released from custody in September 2020.
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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