CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police posted their frustration on social media after a suspected repeated offender was released a day after a SWAT situation in Charlotte.
According to records, Demont Forte has over 100 criminal filings. WCNC Charlotte has covered Forte in the past, including a road rage incident where he's seen allegedly hitting a woman in 2021, as well as a charge for murder in 1992.
Forte's most recent list of charges stem from his arrest on Monday, including assault by strangulation, felony stalking, assault on a female, and assault on a government employee.
Lisa Diefenderfer from Safe Alliance, a resource for victims of domestic violence, says that domestic violence offenders being released on lower bonds is a problem they see often in Mecklenburg County.
"Domestic violence crimes notoriously have very low bonds set. I think it mainly pertains to the fact that most domestic violence crimes or misdemeanors on average, obviously misdemeanors have lower bonds," said Diefenderfer.
Allowing violent criminals to be released on no bond, or on low bond, is something that CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings says is frustrating for law enforcement, especially in Mecklenburg County.
"We are not keeping our community safe by letting repeat violent offenders back out on the streets. We're doing a disservice to our citizens by doing that," said Chief Jennings.
The president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, Daniel Redford, noted that different counties have different rules regarding bond policy, which can be frustrating.
Redford asked, "How is it that you can go to Gaston County, Union County, or other counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, commit the same exact crime, but you can get a significantly higher bond or no bond at all?"
An active officer himself, Redford says that, although it's frustrating, local law enforcement will continue to do the best they can to keep violent criminals off the street.
"We'll just continue to fight this revolving door of justice that we have and keep spending time putting the same people back in jail," Redford said. "If there's not any type of intervention done, whether it's jail, prison, or something, female victims of domestic violence are murdered, right? So if we cannot rely on our court systems to help victims remain safe, then, who else is there, out there, that can assure the victims of these violent and repeated crimes can sleep safely at night."
Diefenderfer added, "It's really important that the key players have access to the information. So when a determination is made on bond, making sure that the court has access to the information for them to make a good decision on bond would be really vital."
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach out to Safe Alliance.
Jane Monreal: Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.