Charlotte Police See Double-Digit Rise In Rape, Stolen Firearms

CHARLOTTE, NC — Police are seeing an "alarming increase" in the number of sexual assault cases this year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Wednesday.

So far this year, rape cases reported to CMPD are up 42 percent compared to this time last year, according to police data.

"It's important to remember that this increase involves both adult victims, as well as juvenile victims," Sgt. Allison Rooks of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Sexual Assault Unit said Wednesday at a news conference.

So far this year, 98 adult rape cases have been reported to CMPD, up from 80 in 2020, Rooks said. Of those 98 cases, police have made 15 arrests, and fewer than 10 percent involve suspects who were strangers to the victim, Rooks said.

When it comes to rape cases among juveniles, rape cases have nearly doubled so far this year, in comparison to last year, Rooks said.

CMPD has received reports of 54 rape cases for juvenile victims under the age of 15 this year, up from 28 cases reported in 2020, representing a 93 percent increase, she said. Many of the cases involve family members and acquaintances, and the increase in reporting stems from children returning to school and extracurricular activities.

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Charlotte police are also seeing a steep increase in a preventable crime they believe leads to others— firearms stolen from vehicles.

So far this year, 554 firearms have been stolen from vehicles representing a 66 percent spike in thefts compared to 334 reported stolen last year, Detective Adrian Johnson, of CMPD's Crime Stoppers said.

"Although there's no way to correlate the number of stolen firearms used in violent crimes with the [larceny from automobiles] that are occurring, there have been several examples of those incidents happening with stolen firearms," Johnson said.

Crime Stoppers has launched its "Felon By Firearm" program, which encourages community members to anonymously report the identity and location of felons in the possession of a gun. If an arrest is made, the caller is eligible for a $500 cash reward. The firearm tip line is 704-334-1600.

Police are also reporting an increase in community tips coming in through the Crime Stopper program, and have already paid 15 cash "Felon By Firearm" rewards of $500 this year.

CMPD has received more than 1,900 tips so far this year, which has already led to 103 arrests. Tips have also led police to recover 56 firearms — seven more than reported during all of 2020, Johnson said.

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