ONLY ON 3: Police chief frustrated by repeat offender’s release

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington’s police chief does not agree with a ruling a judge made earlier this week. But the county’s top prosecutor has a different view.

Yesterday Police Chief Ralph Evangelous expressed his frustration when he said a visiting judge let one of the city’s worst offenders back on to the streets this week. He says there are problems with the judicial system that need to change.

Police say Rashawn Hines has been a problem for years, and now he is back out on the streets.

“A visiting judge dropped the ball and released one of our worst offenders back onto the streets,” Evangelous said during a Thursday news conference about the progress of a cease fire on gun violence in Wilmington.

Hines is out of jail because Judge Ken Crow ruled the 18-year-old did not violate his probation.

“When we bring in visiting judges who have no clue of what we are dealing with in out community… maybe they should find another job,” Evangelous said Thursday.

But District Attorney Ben David said Judge Crow is not to blame. He says judges can only rule on the information presented in a courtroom. David said in this case, that information was just not there. That’s left Evangelous and his investigators shaking their heads.

“They spent hours and hours and hours on this guy to get him and get him off the street, and now he’s back out there, and it starts all over again,” Evangelous told WWAY Friday.

In an attempt to prevent this from happening again, WPD, the DA’s Office and Probation met Friday afternoon to discuss what exactly needs to be presented to the judge during a hearing.

In the meantime, Evangelous says the community is already feeling the repercussions of Monday’s decision.

“What happened this week? What happened this week? The shootings started again, didn’t it?” Evangelous said.

We reached out to Judge Crow, but we have not heard back.