Yellowhammer Times

In January 2025, Mecklenburg County Magistrate Teresa Stokes signed the release of DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat arrestee later accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light-rail. Public records found that Stokes also holds a second professional role outside the courthouse, raising questions about whether magistrates should be permitted to maintain secondary employment while exercising authority over public safety.

According to Yahoo News, Stokes approved Brown’s earlier release on a written promise to appear. Court filings show that in January, Magistrate Teresa Stokes freed Brown after a misuse of 911 charge, requiring only a written promise to appear in court. This meant he avoided paying bail despite erratic behavior and documented psychiatric issues. Brown remained free in the community until the August train killing.

As per the North Carolina Courts, Stokes is an active magistrate in Mecklenburg County’s District 26. The North Carolina Judicial Branch directory lists Magistrate Teresa Stokes as part of the District 26 judiciary, which encompasses Mecklenburg County. Magistrates in this district set bail, authorize arrests, and determine pretrial release conditions. These decisions can directly shape whether repeat offenders remain jailed or walk free.

Her professional record points to outside employment in the same field she rules over in court. A publicly available résumé/profile lists Teresa A. Stokes as holding a leadership role outside her magistrate position, in addition to her courtroom duties. According to Bold, the profile found her overlapping work in legal and justice-related administration, meaning she is simultaneously employed in two parts of the same system. This raises questions about whether magistrates should be permitted to hold second jobs in the same field while making life-and-death release decisions from the bench.

AP News reports that Brown’s history shows the stakes of her release decision. Law enforcement and press accounts note DeCarlos Brown Jr. had 14 prior arrests in North Carolina, combined with a record of psychiatric illness. Despite this, he was repeatedly freed before ultimately killing Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train in August. Federal prosecutors have since charged him with causing death on a mass transit system, a crime carrying possible life or death penalty punishment.

Mecklenburg County accepted millions to reduce the jailing of repeat offenders. In 2015, county leaders signed on to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s “Safety and Justice Challenge,” a Chicago-based initiative that paid Mecklenburg $3.3 million to “reduce the use of incarceration.” The foundation has spread similar grants to 57 cities, counties, and states that agree to keep repeat offenders out of jail. Brown — a 14-time arrestee — remained free under those policies until he murdered a woman on Charlotte’s light rail.