WAKE COUNTY: In like a lion. Out like a lamb. That’s what the Raleigh Police Department hopes will describe this year’s crime trends in the capitol city.
According to the latest crime statistics released to NC WANTED, Raleigh is pacing ahead of last year for the number of murders, robberies, aggravated assaults and burglaries.
As of February 3, 2008, four homicides occurred within the city limits, compared to no homicides at this time last year.
Raleigh police, however, say there is no reason to believe these crimes are indicative of an overall decline in safety.
“We’re closely monitoring it,” said Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue, “but so far there’s nothing to say there’s been some radical change in Raleigh that’s leading to a permanent uptick.”
He explained crime spikes in cities are fairly common, adding that Raleigh is statistically a very safe city – about six homicides for every 100,000 people. In a similar crime spike last June, six people were murdered in Raleigh.
Enter Raleigh’s crime wave of 2008.
As of February 3, there have been 117 robberies in Raleigh, compared to 80 by this time last year.
Aggravated assaults are up from 104 to 115, and burglaries from 297 to 308. Rape statistics are the same between this year and last with 8 reported incidents and larceny, motor vehicle theft and non-rape sexual offenses have decreased.
On January 6, Felipe Montalvo-Montalvo was killed on Bland Road. Investigators have not revealed how he died or whether the murder was gang-related. Five men have been charged in his death, however, and two of the suspects are just 16 years old.
Two days later, officers responded to a shooting call on Walnut Street. Derrick Swinson was found at the scene with gunshot wound He was later pronounced dead. Jneaka Jaroyce Sutton was charged with his murder.
Philip Michael Hart was found outside the Damon Court apartments on January 9. He was transported to WakeMed, where he died some time later. Again, few details have been released, but Joel Mica Barnes has been arrested and charged with murder.
On January 13, Raleigh police discovered the body of Demetrius Christmas on Idlewild Avenue. He was shot to death. No suspects have been identified at this time, and no one has been arrested or charged in his death.
Two other murders in the Raleigh area have garnered attention.
Virginia authorities found a burned body on Interstate 85 near the North Carolina border on January 16. The remains were later identified as missing Cary woman Vanlata Patel. Her estranged husband, Harish Patel, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder in her death.
Latrese Matral Curtis, 21, of Durham, died from puncture wounds from a sharp object and her body was found January 30 on Interstate 540 near Louisburg Road. Three days later, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robert Reaves, a former pastor who served time for criminal sexual conduct in the late 80s, and charged him with first-degree murder in Curtis’ death.
Looking back to 2007.
Last year, there were 22 homicides reported in Raleigh. The murders of Albert Imes, Jenna Nielsen, Charmeka Harris and Pascual Xolo either remain unsolved or police have identified a suspect, but not charged anyone.
Gang violence, sometimes among teens, continues to be a leading cause of the area’s crime problems.
Sughrue, however, said that of 28 suspects arrested for murder in the last year in Raleigh, only three of them were teenagers. But he confirmed the underlying roots of the city’s violence.
“Gangs, guns and drugs, that’s just what you find at the bottom of a lot of it,” he said. “So…it’s always very disturbing.”
Wake County has announced plans to build a new justice center in downtown Raleigh to accommodate projections that the court system’s case load will more than double by the year 2030.
“We always have to remember that statistically Raleigh is a very safe city for cities of this size, but we also understand that that’s of absolutely no comfort to someone who has lost a family member or a friend to violence,” Sughrue said.
If you have any information on crimes in North Carolina, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
