Orange County murders spurred bill that would release IDs of suspects under 18

A nearly unanimous state Senate voted Thursday to let law enforcement identify juveniles accused of violent crimes while they’re at large, a change that stems from an Orange County double murder where investigators say privacy laws stymied their case.

Senate Bill 303 lays out an exception to those laws, which generally forbid law enforcement from identifying a juvenile accused of a crime. The change would let investigators release basics, including name, a picture, what the person is accused of and whether they’re considered a threat.

"Under the current law, law enforcement can't put out information, so that folks that encounter them can let law enforcement know where they are," said North Carolina Sheriff's Association Executive Vice President and general counsel Eddie Caldwell.

Investigators would need a judge’s permission to release this information, and once the suspect is captured, any identifying information would be scrubbed from law enforcement websites and social media.

"[It's] so that folks who know them or folks who encouter them can help law enforcement find them," Caldwell said of the proposed legislation.

The bill is a response to a double murder last year in Orange County. Sheriff Charles Blackwood said his office “could mention nothing about the suspect,” which “created a situation where the public lost trust in our ability to effectively investigate the crime."

“We knew who the suspect was 16 hours after the crime was committed but we weren’t able to let the public know,” Blackwood said in a statement Thursday. “It also took away our ability to let the community here in Orange County know there was no ongoing threat to the community because we knew he was in the state of Delaware.”

The 17-year-old accused in that case has since been identified because he's being tried as an adult. The teen was ultimately found in Delaware.

"At the end of the day, when you have a murderer or rapist or arsonist or drug dealer who may be under 18 but is a menace and a threat to the public, the welfare of the public outweighs the inconvenience that might come to the person who's committed that heinous crime," Caldwell said.

The bill passed the Senate 45-1 with Sen. Natalie Murdock, D-Durham, the lone no vote.

"[The bill] allows for released records to be taken down, however given the nature of the internet and the way information is saved and shared, it is likely that the removal of the released records would be ineffective in preventing permanent damage to the reputation of the accused youth," Murdock said in a text message. "Youth are unlikely to have the means to scrub the internet of their information, and with 20% of juvenile cases being dismissed, this could create a huge obstacle for youth pursuing education and careers."

The bill heads to the House of Representatives now for more discussion.