0:10

Welcome to Women in Public Safety , where

0:13

real-life events meets raw

0:15

truth . I'm Harriet , your

0:17

host , and I'm also a state parole

0:19

officer dedicated to unraveling

0:22

human complexities through true-life

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cases that we will call Case

0:26

Chronicles . So join me weekly

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as we explore gripping narratives

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from the front lines of law enforcement

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and social services . From triumph

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to despair , we will uncover

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resilience , vulnerability and

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, of course , justice . Don't

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forget to subscribe and follow us on

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social media for the latest episodes

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and join the movement for change . Hello

0:51

everybody , this is Harriet Westmore with the Women in

0:53

Public Safety podcast . This is the podcast

0:55

where we discuss topics

0:57

relating to challenges and

0:59

triumphs for women who work in the public

1:01

safety and human services field . I'm your host

1:04

today , harriet Westmore . I want to say welcome

1:06

and , if you have not already

1:09

, I would like for you to hit that share

1:11

and subscribe to the YouTube channel so

1:13

that we can get the algorithm up and get

1:15

more content out there to you

1:17

. So today

1:20

I wanted to do a case chronicle . It's

1:22

not going to be very long and it's not going

1:24

to be very in detail . It's just a

1:26

generalization of the things I can remember

1:29

and wanted to kind of share with you

1:32

. Before we do that , I

1:34

want to remind everybody , this is

1:36

a no drama free

1:39

platform . Welcome

1:41

all types of comments , but please

1:43

be respectful in your comments

1:45

and in your feedback . I really

1:47

appreciate it . We are all adults and

1:50

we can have an open conversation and

1:52

we can look at things at different perspective

1:54

, but I just ask that everybody would be respectful

1:56

of the podcast and the platform

1:58

. So let's talk about

2:01

first of three case chronicles for

2:03

the month of April . So let's talk about

2:05

verse of three case chronicles for the month of April

2:07

. I was thinking about what am I going to

2:09

talk about ? I

2:15

don't have a specific case that I'm working on now or or have worked on . That was really

2:17

interesting to talk about . So I was thinking about the time when I was a

2:19

records clerk and I worked

2:21

for the Charlotte Mecklenburg police . I

2:23

used to live in Charlotte back in

2:25

the late 80s and into

2:27

the mid 90s , so

2:30

it was during that time . I would say

2:32

it was about , let's see , maybe

2:34

between 94 and 95

2:37

, before I relocated to

2:39

Ohio , where I'm originally from

2:41

and where my family is . It

2:44

was during I remember distinctly

2:46

it was during the Final Four . That was one

2:48

of the times when the Final Four came

2:51

to Charlotte and it

2:54

was also the time

2:56

when the city of Charlotte

2:59

was under siege . And why I

3:01

said that ? Because they

3:03

were experiencing at

3:05

the time , didn't understand and didn't know

3:07

at the time , but found , you know , or

3:10

will be found in various

3:12

areas of the city , and

3:31

the profile would be young

3:33

Black women that

3:35

were showing

3:37

up were found either missing

3:39

and , if they were found , they were already

3:42

found deceased . And so at

3:45

first one or two there

3:48

wasn't a connection there . But as

3:50

the investigation started going

3:52

on and the police investigators

3:54

were doing more investigation of

3:56

these homicides , they came to grips

3:58

that it was actually a serial killer . Was actually a serial

4:01

killer . And how does that affect

4:03

me ? Well , like I said , I was working at

4:05

the department at the time and

4:08

I just remember the atmosphere of

4:10

, you know , going

4:13

into work , into the department and even

4:15

the city itself . The

4:22

city was like . It was like this tense , thickness of

4:24

tensity and of fear among the city of Charlotte . And

4:27

I was a single mom

4:29

. I , uh

4:31

, my daughter was young at

4:33

the time and she was going into daycare and

4:36

so I would , you know , I worked the 3

4:38

to 11 shift . That

4:40

was my permanent second shift . So it

4:42

was kind of like , it was kind

4:45

of frightening because you didn't know it

4:47

could have been this person . This jump out

4:49

, you know , out of random and just pick

4:51

you as a female . You're

4:54

kind of , you know , you're afraid . The investigation

4:57

went on . They finally

4:59

had a suspect and

5:02

the suspect he was an

5:04

actual . There was a connection to

5:06

these women , to the suspect

5:08

, because he was a manager

5:10

. If you are listening

5:13

on here , you remember who I'm talking

5:15

about , which I will talk about

5:17

in a minute . We say who

5:19

it was in a minute . Correct me if I'm wrong . We say who

5:21

it was in a minute . Correct me if I'm wrong , but I

5:23

think he was a manager at

5:25

Bojangles Fast Food Restaurant

5:28

, chicken and restaurant

5:30

. I miss Bojangles , by the way , because I just

5:32

love their sweet tea , but anyway

5:35

. But we have something

5:37

equivalent which is Popeye's chicken , but

5:39

I kind of like Bojangles . I

5:41

don't know , but anyway , I digress

5:43

and I think the connection

5:45

was he knew these . They

5:50

were either his coworkers or female friends that

5:52

he knew or he would befriend and

5:54

came out to be his . I mean , he was not

5:57

the first , but one of the

5:59

. It was unusual because he was a black male

6:01

and his name was Henry

6:03

Lewis Wallace and this

6:06

guy was I

6:09

. It was just , I just recall

6:11

the atmosphere of this whole city , of

6:13

the city , and it was during the I

6:15

think it was . I may have it mixed

6:17

up , I'm not sure if it was

6:19

during the final four . I

6:22

know the final four was there there

6:24

. I don't know if it was in 93 , 94

6:27

or 94 , 95 , but

6:29

I just remember the intensity of

6:31

how the city was

6:34

and I remember that

6:37

, you know , coming to work and getting

6:40

out of work because it's dark , and

6:42

you know , I'm just , you know , thinking oh my god , what

6:44

if this person don't

6:46

just grab me or whatever

6:48

, and I'm trying to get home . But

6:50

also , what really was

6:54

, uh , baffling to me was

6:56

one of his victims was

6:59

a young lady that went

7:01

to the church that I attend , and so

7:03

that was very sad . I

7:05

don't know , I can't recall the connection

7:08

, I don't know if they were coworkers or he

7:10

was just a friend , he befriended

7:12

her , or they knew each other or whatever

7:14

, but he was strangling

7:17

and kill him , and one of the things

7:19

I can say that it was a quick turnaround

7:21

by the time they found

7:23

out who it was and he

7:26

was charged and

7:28

prosecuted . It was sentenced

7:31

, you know , I think if

7:33

it wasn't , life without possibility of parole

7:35

. I think he was sentenced to death . I

7:37

think North Carolina is a capital state . I

7:40

can recall if anybody can you know , confirm

7:43

or or correct me if I'm wrong but

7:46

that I I thought that was the quickest

7:48

turn around and

7:50

do justice for

7:52

this person . But I just remember

7:55

that it was just a eerie

7:57

. You just felt no , the whole city

7:59

and it's like this , like the

8:01

city under siege , and the weather . I

8:04

remember because , as a matter of fact , it's

8:06

been around about this time of year , into

8:09

the spring , into the summer , and I just

8:11

remember it was just very warm

8:13

, it was very hot for springtime

8:15

down there in North

8:17

Carolina , that's for the things

8:20

that I was just thinking about . I was like , wow , but

8:23

the parallel he was kind

8:25

of sort of like another

8:28

killer that we had in the Cleveland area , which was

8:30

Anthony Sowell . Only

8:32

difference were the victims

8:35

. They weren't , I mean what

8:37

we call off the streets

8:39

or anything like that . I

8:42

believe these were with him and Wallace

8:44

, wallace and him connected to

8:46

the victims that he chose

8:49

were people that he actually knew and

8:51

were friends with or worked with . Sowell

8:54

was just , you know , he was

8:56

just a monster in

8:58

terms of you know , he would think that

9:00

the women choice of women that he

9:03

picked nobody would really

9:05

care about it . I mean not thinking that

9:07

these women did have families , whether they were

9:09

on the streets or you

9:11

know , or addicts or whatever . They

9:13

still have families that were looking for

9:15

them , but as did

9:17

the you know women and victims

9:20

of Wallace . So

9:22

that's my case chronicles . If anybody

9:24

knows any more about this case or lived

9:26

in Charlotte at that time , I really would like to hear

9:29

your feedback , especially if you were in

9:31

Charlotte or you know and remember

9:33

that time , that era

9:35

, and how did you

9:37

feel about it and what

9:40

was your feedback ? As far as with the police

9:42

, how did the police handle it ? I

9:44

know there were a lot of . You know there's always

9:46

going to be a lot of criticism about the and

9:48

how it was handled and all of that . But

9:51

you know , I just want to hear your feedback and you know

9:53

your perspective of during

9:55

that time , because I remember it very well

9:57

. It was just , it was a scary time and

9:59

it was , you know , once they had him in custody

10:01

and going , you know

10:03

, off the streets . I think it was like a whole

10:05

collective side of the city had the whole collective

10:08

side of relief and you

10:10

know , people were starting to feel

10:12

a little more comfortable , especially women , of

10:14

going back out and being

10:16

out , because during the time before

10:18

they caught him it was very tense

10:21

and very , you know , scary , to

10:23

be honest . So , all

10:25

right . So , like I said , this was a short podcast

10:27

this week for Case Chronicles . I

10:29

hope everybody stays safe and please I know

10:31

tomorrow is the big solar

10:33

day of looking at the total

10:36

eclipse Please be safe . I can't

10:38

stress it enough A lot of people

10:40

, especially if we're

10:42

having an influx of people that are coming

10:44

from all over here in our state

10:46

to try , you know , to witness

10:49

this event . So it's been advised

10:51

that you know , know , do not go out unless you absolutely

10:54

have to so and get

10:56

your safety glasses . Do

10:58

not look at the

11:00

sun , try to look at the sun or the x without

11:03

any type of eye

11:05

protection , because

11:07

you know that would be detrimental to

11:09

your eyesight . So please hit

11:11

again , hit that like , share and subscribe to the

11:13

YouTube channel . Also , if you have a

11:16

story , a case chronicle , I am pleading

11:18

, I am asking , I ask every week do

11:21

not be shy If you have

11:23

a story or an experience

11:26

that you would like to share with

11:28

the audience in

11:30

social service work , in your

11:32

work in healthcare , community

11:35

service corrections . I know there's

11:38

I mean we got there's plenty of

11:40

stories . I know you guys

11:42

have stories out here on your jobs

11:44

of stuff that you just

11:46

cannot make up . This stuff I mean

11:48

you think it's on , you think this is TV

11:50

, but it's not , it's reality . Please

11:53

hit me up by email at

11:55

publicsafetybywomen at gmailcom

11:57

. Just tell me that you're interested

11:59

. I will send you a link for us to

12:02

meet and talk about

12:04

what you you know about your story , and

12:06

if you would like to be a guest and tell

12:08

your own story , or if you would like me to

12:11

talk to you about your story and

12:14

it was , you know I would keep everything

12:16

. We ask that everything is kind

12:18

of on a general term . We don't want a particular

12:21

or you know co-workers

12:23

names or anything like that , but just

12:25

, you know , keep it in a general term . But

12:28

we want to get the story out there and get the

12:30

case chronicle up there so that

12:32

people would be interested in and understanding exactly

12:35

what we do as servants , what

12:37

we have to go through , you know , on a

12:39

daily . So don't be scared , don't

12:41

be shy please . I'm sure there are

12:43

plenty , plenty stories out

12:46

there that or or experiences that

12:48

you have that people would be

12:50

interested in hearing about . So

12:52

, again , email me at publicsafetybywomen

12:55

at gmailcom and

12:58

we will get together and

13:00

we'll talk about what you have to

13:03

share , all right . With that being

13:05

said , thank you once again

13:07

, and I will talk to you soon . Bye

13:09

.