Expected warrant keeps Mitchell in jail
Though state sex charges have been dropped against him, Royce Mitchell may not get out of jail anytime soon.
Federal authorities have placed a detainer on Mitchell and say they plan to serve a warrant, accusing him of violating terms of his release from prison in 2007. Mitchell has been under federal supervision for two years, after serving time on drug-related charges in a New York case.
Mitchell was accused last month in Charlotte of committing statutory rape with his adopted sister, 15-year-old Tiffany Wright. The pregnant teen was fatally shot Sept. 14 as she waited for her school bus. Doctors were able to deliver her baby, but the infant later died.
Mitchell, 36, was named by police as a "person of interest" in Tiffany's homicide. He turned himself in and was jailed on charges of statutory rape and indecent liberties with a minor. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Tiffany was the victim.
The sex-related charges were dropped Thursday after a DNA test showed Mitchell was not the father of Tiffany's baby. And with Tiffany dead, her statements to a detective that she had sex with Mitchell twice would not hold up in court, said District Attorney Peter Gilchrist.
A federal judge must now decide if Mitchell has violated terms of his post-supervision release agreement, which requires him to have a job, visit with a federal officer and stay out of trouble. The burden of proof is lower than in criminal court, said Greg Forest, chief of the federal probation office in Charlotte.
Jurisdiction over Mitchell's federal case was recently transferred from New York state to Charlotte, so Mitchell will likely face a federal judge here.
Mitchell remained in the Mecklenburg jail late Friday. Police say he also remains a "person of interest" in Tiffany's killing.
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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Charmeckda.com, Google Maps
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