By Collin Cunningham
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) Good morning and welcome to the end of the workweek, Charlotte! Any weekend warriors should carry an umbrella today and tomorrow as Weather.com predicts a 70% chance of rain starting around 2 p.m. today and continuing through the early hours of tomorrow.
Today's Roundup lays out a review board's recommendations for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department after the agency wrongfully arrested a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher in 2021. Speaking of CMS, new information shows that the driver of a dump truck was asleep when they crashed into a district bus, injuring 15 students on Tuesday. The Carolina Hurricanes are set to face the Boston Bruins in the penultimate game of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and our weekend reading list and weather forecast provide more context.
But first, feedback: We want to hear from you to help improve the Roundup. Have a suggestion for changes or new daily features, or want to sound off on a recent story? Drop us a line in the comments section.
1. CMPD at fault: Citizens Review Board suggests punishment for Charlotte police over teacher's arrest
What happened: A case of mistaken identity could result in disciplinary action against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers. Members of the Queen City's Citizens Review Board voted 8-2 at a hearing on Thursday to ratify that CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings was incorrect for not punishing a group of officers who arrested Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher Jasmine Horne in June of 2021.
The decision now heads to Jennings and City Manager Marcus D. Jones, who could compel the chief to take corrective action. "This is the fist step in the right direction," said defense attorney Darlene Harris.
As we reported in January, CMPD officers arrived at Horne's home on June 14 while searching for a stabbing suspect who bore a similar name before pointing a gun at the teacher's face and snapping handcuffs on her wrists.
Why it matters: Despite the board's ruling, WFAE reports that the department is not required to heed any of its suggestions. Describing Thursday's eight-hour session to the station, Horne said she felt "confusion, frustration on the incident and what happened and procedures that could have been made that weren't."
2. Comatose crash: Dump truck driver who hit CMS bus was asleep at the wheel
What happened: The driver of the dump truck that sent a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus offroad into a metal fence on Tuesday was not conscious when the accident occurred. New details revealed in Charlotte police documents on Thursday show that the person behind the wheel of the truck, whose name has yet to be released, fell asleep while traveling west on Sharon Road West, near the corner of Shaonbrook Drive, around 6:30 a.m.
The truck then swerved left of the center line, where it met the school transport head-on while it was traveling to South Mecklenburg High School, roughly two miles away.
Why it matters: Of the 40 students onboard, 15 sustained non-life-threatening injuries and 14 went to the hospital. Emergency crews had to rend the bus and truck with the Jaws of Life to free their pilots; the dump truck driver is still recovering from life-threatening injuries, while the person behind the wheel of the bus was cleared of their injuries in the hours after the crash. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has yet to announce whether the drowsy driver will face charges.
The news comes as The Charlotte Observer reports Mecklenburg County to be the most prone to school bus accidents in all of North Carolina.
3. Hurricanes Hurrah: Carolina hockey team forces Game 7 against Boston Bruins in round 1 of Stanley Cup playoffs
Over the past two weeks, the Carolina Hurricanes have been slowly hashing it out with the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That trend is set to consider this Saturday when the teams square off in Game 7 to see who will advance to the next round, which will see this weekend's winner face either the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Rangers.
The Hurricanes could hammer the home-field advantage against the Bruins; Saturday's game takes place in North Carolina's capital and, so far this series, neither team has won away from home. The playoff berth is the Hurricanes' fourth postseason NHL appearance in as many years. The team fell to Boston in the conference finals in 2019, was again brutalized by Boston in the first round of 2020 and was lambasted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021, per Champs or Chumps.
So far, the Hurricanes-Bruins round has looked like this, with Carolina scores appearing first: 5-1, 5-2, 2-4, 2-5, 5-1, 2-5. Readers can watch Saturday's match live on ESPN when it kicks off at 4:30 p.m. at PNC Arena, according to Yahoo.
4. Weekend reading list
It was a busy week in Charlotte. and the Roundup can only be so long. Here are a few stories that weren't touched upon but still deserve readers' attention.
- Panthers' season scoped: When the Carolina Panthers take the field for the first game of the 2022-23 season, players will meet face-to-face with a man they may have called a peer: Deshaun Watson. When the Cleveland Browns arrive at Bank of America Stadium for the Sept. 11 season opener, they will have their shiny new quarterback, who Carolina was also rumored to have an interest in, along with his 22 pending civil sexual assault lawsuits. Readers can view the entire schedule, including preseason games, on the team's website.
- 20/20 verde: An episode of ABC's "20/20" crime program will focus on Henry Louis Wallace, a convicted murderer known as the "Taco Bell Strangler" who counted 10 women among his victims between 1992 and '94. The Charlotte Observer has everything readers need to know about the episode, explaining that it will stream on Hulu the day after its Friday premiere.
- Emergency room assaults: We reported in February that a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services investigation had revealed an uptick in violent interactions between Mecklenburg County jail inmates and employees, but what about hospitals? A recent story from WBTV peers inside Atrium Health's Carolinas Medical Center and Novant Health's Presbyterian Hospital to find a growing number of assaults against Charlotte hospital staff.
- Strip mall shooting: Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are searching for a minor believed to be connected to an April 30 shooting at a local strip mall, per WSOC. The news comes after city leaders announced their intention to purchase a separate series of stores in west Charlotte where crime rates are high.
4. Six-day weather forecast
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