The Winston-Salem Police Department has charged two teenagers as adults, just days after a new law came into effect.
The “Raise the Age” initiative, which became effective on December 1, now treats young adults aged 16 to 17 who commit specific felonies as adults. This new law aims to prevent young offenders from being processed through the adult criminal justice system.
Until 2019, North Carolina was the lone state in the country that automatically treated all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, regardless of the severity of their criminal charges.
There has been a surge in serious crimes committed by young people, and as a response, a new law has been introduced to address this issue. This law not only addresses the transfer process for indicted juvenile cases but also aims to tackle the rising trend of youth involvement in criminal activities.
For more information on HB 834, you can find detailed insights here.
On Tuesday morning, the police received a report of an armed robbery on Old Vineyard Road. Following their investigation, law enforcement officers apprehended four underage individuals in connection with the incident.
Two juveniles faced charges as adults under the new law and were transported to the Juvenile Detention Center.
Two teenagers, Christopher Isaiah Williams, 17, and Christopher Reyes, 16, have been apprehended and are now facing charges for robbery.
Officials stated that a third juvenile is facing charges for possessing a stolen vehicle, while a secure custody order was issued for the fourth juvenile.
“It didn’t take long for the effects of this new law to be felt. By creating a video with my partners in crime fighting, it was our hope that we would encourage our youth to make better decisions. Violent crime will not be tolerated, regardless the age of the suspect.” Chief William H. Penn, Jr.
Law enforcement in the Triad area recently took to Facebook to share a video about the recent law change on November 30th.
