The failure of so many caused the death of a young expectant mother.
So many are to blame in the stabbing death of Danielle Watson that is is hard to know where to start. But anyone who has ever called CMPDs 911 system and had a waste of time conversation with the person on the other end may understand my anger. Now the police, 911, prisons, courts and others have come together to cause a young mother' to be's stocking and tragic death.
Start with the fiance' why did it take his mind nearly two hours to think something might be wrong? If my girlfriend worked nights in Charlotte and didn't answer for 15 mins after hearing some commotion in the back ground, I'd be my way.
I can't tell you how many times I've called 911 and felt like I'd just called the hope and pray line only to be put on hold and then had to left a message. It starts with "911, do you need Police Fire or Medic?" How about let me tell you rather than waste seconds before I can even speak. Charlotte's 911 Operators must have telecommunications equipment made at the turn of the last century. Why can't they get the address right the first time?
I would describe the Flying Biscuit as in the Stonecrest Shopping Center corner of Rea and Ballantyne Commons Parkway next to Chick Fil A. But I'd be willig to bet the farm that CMPD's 911 Operators would insist on having an address. Cedar Posts has asked for a copy of the 911 Call. Nothing but crickets from CMPD.
Seriously how does Flying Biscuit become Plum Biscuit? I could understand Spying Biscuit,Trying Biscuit, Lying Trisect.
When the Officer went to an address that was not a business, why wasn't Watson's boyfriend called back? Give the details why did he go out to a resisu
How did this piece of crap get out of jail in the first place? Did the Flying Biscuit really hire this scumm?
Detectives conducting a homicide investigation in the South Division
Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Homicide Unit are conducting a homicide investigation related to the robbery of The Flying Biscuit Café, located at 7930 Rea Road in the South Division. The initial call for service came in at 6:24 a.m., on Saturday, January 14, 2012, in regards to what was thought at the time to be a larceny. The victim has been identified as Danielle Marie Watson, DOB: 04/29/1986.
South Division patrol officers responded to the Flying Biscuit early this morning in reference to a suspected larceny. As officers were still on the scene conducting their investigation, they were notified by an employee of Allied Waste Services that a body was behind the trash dumpster that he was attempting to empty. The body was that of Ms. Watson, an employee of the Flying Biscuit. At this time, Ms. Watson’s vehicle is unaccounted for. We are asking that if anyone sees her vehicle, that they call 911 immediately. The vehicle is a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier two door, NC registration: ZYX1952; baby blue in color. A photo of the actual vehicle is attached to this e-mail. The investigation is in its early stages. As additional information develops, it will be released by CMPD Public Affairs.
Crime Scene Search responded to the call for service to process the scene and collect physical evidence. Detectives with the Robbery Unit responded to the scene to assist in the investigation. Representatives of the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Homicide Prosecution Team responded to the scene as well
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a Homicide Unit Detective. Detective Morales is the lead detective assigned to the case. In addition, you may also call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. For additional information, reference CMPD complaint number 2012-0114-062401.
Robert P. Fey | Public Affairs Office
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
601 East Trade Street | Charlotte, NC 28202
rfey@cmpd.org
704.336.2338 o | 704.619.4169 c
Update Saturday 11:59 PM
During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Ms. Watson’s fiancée received a phone call which led him to believe that there was some type of commotion at the Flying Biscuit, at 7930 Rea Road. The phone call was an open line; there was no communication. The fiancé received the phone call at approximately 10:15 p.m. As time went on, the fiancé became more concerned for Ms. Watson’s safety. After Ms. Watson failed to respond to repeated text messages and phone calls, her fiancé called 911 at 12:05 a.m., on Saturday, January 14, 2012, to report that he needed the police to respond to the Flying Biscuit. He told 911 that Ms. Watson called him and hung up abruptly and that he heard some type of commotion in the background and believed that the business was being robbed.
A call for service was entered for a non-existent business named Plum Biscuits at 3930 Rea Road. The officer responded to the address, which was a private residence and did not receive an answer at the door. The officer then drove to a nearby shopping complex to attempt to locate any businesses that matched the name of Plum Biscuits. Due to the address entered into the call, the officer did not respond to the Flying Biscuit.
Detectives have signed warrants on Mark Anthony Cox, DOB: 11/05/1989, charging him with the murder of Ms. Watson and two counts of Armed Robbery. Mr. Cox was a co-worker of Ms. Watson; he has not yet been arrested. We are asking that anyone who knows the whereabouts of Mr. Cox please call 911 immediately. In addition, it is believed that Mr. Cox fled the scene in Ms. Watson’s car, which has still not been located. The vehicle description is a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier two door, NC registration: ZYX1952; baby blue in color.
55 comments:
So who screwed up? The boyfriend or the dispatcher? Either could have gotten the address and name wrong.
So is it a CMPD mess up for entering the wrong address in the 911 call or the boyfriend's for giving the wrong business name and wrong address?
Sounds to me like CMPD did it again! What the hell is "Plum Biscuit"? ANY officer reguarly patrolling that area would KNOW there is NO such biz and ask the communications dept to verify.
Did they NOT have the Fiance's contact info, sure they did! So WHY did they not call him back to confirm?
I am ready for Monroe to be GONE! Yes, folks his indifference to public safety and his lies have hit a NEW low! He totally disgusts me....
Mark Anthony Cox's Previous Record:
JUST RELEASED 11/1/11 for:
ROBBERY W/DANGEROUS WEAPON (CONSPIRACY); Served 3 years 3mos
Here is the rest of his record:
http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1128184&searchLastName=cox&searchFirstName=mark&searchMiddleName=a&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1
Don't know about anyone else but if that were my fiance calling and I thought something was wrong I would not have waited before calling the police. I would have been calling 911 while I was on the way to check on her myself. Just sayin.........
Ok Cedar, this is just too much!
How did the police, courts, 911 and everyone else (but the perpetrator) CAUSE the death of this young woman???
I've watched and read this blog for some time. Recently you've gone from having any sort of legitimate gripe to just plain police bashing. You've become no different than any other liberal rag (or digital rag if you prefer).
Every time someone calls you on your police bashing, you respond saying how many officers do a good job, add a "BUT" and then say how much they suck. It's tiresome.
There is nothing in the release that says the police killed this young woman. There is nothing in the release that said the police made an error that CAUSED the woman's death. But that's YOUR take on it isn't it? Typical.
This incident is just a glance into the future. Times are tough, laws are barely enforced, and punishment in NC is non-existant.
The legal system has let the taxpayers down again.
Crime pays in NC. Arm up b/c the courts in our state are not here to protect you, but to protect the criminals.
I am with 7.29, I would have called 911 while enroute to her work place. He waited nearly two hours.
How I read the PIO release that was sent out leads me to believe that the fiance told the 911 operator the correct information. Surely he would know the name of the business she worked for. If that is the case, then the operator entererd it incorrectly. But with nearly two hours having elapsed, she was already dead. A mistake, yes. CMPD responsible for it, no.
Obviously, the suspect identified seems like the responsible party.
"So manyare to blame in the stabing death of Danielle Watson that is is hard to know where to start....Now the police, 911, prisons, courts and others have come together to cause a young mothers stocking and tragic death."
Jesus, Cedar! Are you typing with your nose or something?
Stop posting while drunk.
Anon 8:48
So reporting the facts as they happened is now bashing?
How long did the press release take?
Was Monroe at the scene?
Is he in town?
Reporting the facts is not "cop bashing"....but if that is the spin you want to give it,,,,,
This guy should have failed a background check and NEVER been hired
Hey Cedar what exactly do you mean by.."But anyone who has ever called CMPDs 911 and had a waste of time coversation"...?
Explain what that means before I go further..
Anon 8:48 a.m. Have to agree with you on this one. The perpetrator is the person responsible for this young woman's death. My sincere condolences to the family and boyfriend.
And i saw nothing about this in the Observer today?
Did rodney forbid it?
Should have been front page news.
was Monroe there at the homicide scene?
anyone find out when the big "Charlotte is safer" and "Martha Dozier is chiefly responsible for it" press conference is scheduled?
It is likely the woman was dead before her fiance ever even called the police.
The 911 operators do not know every business and address in the city. If the fiance got the name and address wrong then how is that CMPD's fault? Businesses open, close and change names all the time. Many People simply do not know where they are. Even accident locations are hard to find most of the time because people can be off by a mile or more. In this case, it was a 4 mile difference.
If I thought something was wrong with my fiance, I would drive over there to check on them myself.
Given what is being reported on WCNC's website, it seems the fiance got, an accidental call, from the victim. He probably thought she was busy cleaning up, tried her anyway, but didn't worry to much when she didn't pick up. So tending to lay off the criticism of his nearly two hour delay of calling 911. Who hasn't got the "butt dial" call before.
As for his call to 911, I look forward to hearing his taped 911 call to see if he got the business name and address correct. But, given that she only worked there for 5 weeks or so, perhaps he didn't. As for the 911 operator, hopefully she relayed what she heard.
As for officers responding to the location in the call, perhaps they were rookies and not entirely familiar with the area. An officer can't know every business in his response area. This is why they put the address in the call in the first place.
Bottom line. It isn't CMPDs fault that this women was murdered. Cedar, typically agree with your blog, but way off on this one.
Get real....Sadly, this woman was dead long before the police were called after midnight.
The Flying Biscut has some serious explaining to do. Did they knowingly hire an ex-con? If they did, did they inform their managers and employees of the risks? Did the ex-con lie on his application for employment? If so, did they not run a background check? I would like to know what they knew and when they knew it. It isn't illegal to hire an ex-con, but I sure as hell would like to know. Had she known, assuming she didn't, I am sure she would not be comfortable being alone with him. If this is the case, I hope they sue. This should not have happened to her on that night with that man.
As for CMPD, before you start ragging on them, they didn't kill her. They have no blame on this robbery/murder. Perhaps, perhaps, a mistake was made. But I will wait and get the facts first. I would suggest you do as well.
BTW, for all you "Rodney haters"', this case isn't about him.
Anon 7:29,
that is strange. then just leaving the situation all night until parents called at 830 am.
I hate to judge, but he did not seem upset about it in the news 14 interview where he made this strange comment.
"I had so much opportunity for her that I could just make her world amazing, and I knew I could do that".
I guess everyone deals with loss differently, this just seemed off to me.
Sorry about the delay in the comments. Been in Sunny Florida since Wednesday. Some what away from the computer.
#1, I'm sure the victim in this case was dead long before the fiance tried calling 911. It seems like a case of her walking in on the suspect stealing from the business and he killed her to cover it up.
#2, I can't fault the dispatcher. They don't work the streets, they aren't familiar with any one area unless they might live in the vicinity. The only knowledge they might have of the area would probably only come over time of hearing the same streets and businesses over and over. I fault the fiance for not knowing more about where his fiance worked...specifically the name of the business.
#3, I still have to fault the responding officer somewhat. Okay, so you pull up to a residence expecting to find a business. You look at nearby businesses to see if you find something similar...is that where you stop? This officer should be a little more familiar with his area to know the business names and have a better idea of where they are. This sounds like a ball being dropped to me.
We read Cedar Posts, don't attack the blog, unless you have done something With action, typing a response is EASY, Until you take action to DO something is hard, at least you have somewhere to post if you have done something Other than complain, those that read and comment, Quit being a sideline quarter back
Two homicides tonight? Wow!
I saw the scene on the news of the homicide on Harris Blvd.
Were there really members of Command Staff standing around laughing? It sure looked like it.
A Captain and it looked like a Major? A bald guy and an overweight guy?
Have these people not had any training at all on how to conduct themselves at a homicide scene? Do they not know how to act like professionals? Don't they know that cameras are on them all the time??
The leadership at cmpd, if this is any example of it, needs serious scrutiny.
The Officers under their command deserve so much more.
How is that big Press Conference next week about lowering crime gonna work out for them??
Maybe the question should be asked at the press conference what the percentages are right now for crime reduction in the Divisions?
How is that "public perception" of feeling safe working out for rodney? Maybe these latest homicides are really suicides?
House of cards, can you say fall down and go boom??
Things just don't add up. Police could't add up that Plum Biscuit is really Flying Biscuit, you know 2+2 gets ya 4?
Oh wait in Chief Monroe's world 2+2 equals 3.
Cedar please make sure RoMo counts the unborn baby in his crime stats. Based on this and to other murders yesterday (Sunday) there have been four murders in 15 days make sure RoMo adds the baby.
That's 5 in 15 days!
Folks, for those of you who DON'T know there have been many times when you call 911, ONLY to have it ring and ring....you have to hang up and keep calling back.
People have actually been put on HOLD as well. I am sorry, but I was no big fan of Stephens, but this chit did not happen when he was around!
HOW can you go from "Flying Biscuit" to "PLUM Biscuit" and if it was a regular patrol HE should have known there is no such biz! Ballantyne is NOT that big...come on!
And for those blaming Cedars for posting facts.....BITE ME! You sure won't get any facts from any other media source in this town! Don't like his blogs DON'T READ THEM!
Biggest question now--where is this blood thirsty killer??
Shouldn't his family be closely monitored?
Why not an APB to shoot him on site?
How can the public be safe with this murderer on the loose?
What a sad situation all around. For the small percentage of ghetto thugs who want a second chance, they shouldn't get one. Most will abuse the second chance as soon as the opportunity arises to rob someone.
I do believe there are some that do deserve a second chance and will make good on it but those rotten ones ruin it for those who will not repeat their crime.
If a young man speaks thug then he should not be hired and probably shouldn't have been released from jail.
I don't think the correct/incorrect address would have made a difference in catching the thug but I have dealt w/ dispatch over an uptown address that they seemed to be more concerned if the street was N or S.
gps can map the location just by typing the business name.
The 911 call has been released and is on the news sites.
For someone who heard a commotion and his fiance screaming, he waited a long time to call 911. Why would you wait 2 hours to call if you thought the business was being robbed? He also sounded very calm on the tape.
WSOCTV has posted the 911 call on their website. Caller clearly says "Flying Biscuit" but does, unfortunately, give the dispatcher an incorrect address. This is NO excuse for lack of follow up by the seemingly apathetic officer. Condolences to, and prayers for, Ms. Watson's family and friends.
Rock on, CP.
Anon 11:40-
I've had many waste of time calls to 911. On one call, the operator insisted that the intersection where my dead end street didn not exist. After failing to convince him it has in fact existed for 50+ years, I hung up. He called back to tell me I could be arrested for hanging up on 911. I said good luck trying to find me. I've called on a roaving band of teenagers out past curfew hours. The operator didn't want to enter a call for service if I didn't know the exact ages of the teens. I've called to report gun shots. Again, an operator on one occasion refused to enter the call without an exact address that the shots came from. I called in a domestic incident when neighbors in an apt complex were fighting with a knife in the parking lot. The police arrived to ID me b/c they had a warrant for someone with my name (caller ID from when I called). When the DOB didn't match, they left without ever checking on the guy whose girlfriend was trying to stab him w/a butcher knife. Our 911 operators are not all incompetent but there are plenty of examples of them dropping the ball. There is no doub in my mind that it was the operator and not the fiance that got the business name wrong.
The CO has the 911 tape and you can clearly hear him say "Flying Biscuit"
For all those who like to ream Cedar for posting facts I would like you ALL to note for the FIRST time in MANY years the CO has ACTUALLY printed the truth! Cedar printed the TRUTH!
FROM THE CO ARTICLE:
CMPD also said Monday afternoon that the dispatcher who took the 911 call is on administrative leave.
Police on Monday released the 911 call placed by Watson's fiance.
In the call lasting a minute and 21 seconds, Keith Smith gave the address of the Flying Biscuit on Rea Road, and the told the dispatcher “I believe it’s being robbed.”
“Why do you think it’s getting robbed?” the dispatcher asked.
“My girlfriend works there,” Smith said, referring to 25-year-old Danielle Watson. “She called me and hung up abruptly. and I could hear her yelling in the background.”
Later, Smith said, “She gets off at 9. She should have been home hours ago. But it did sound like there was some kind of commotion in the background. She called me from work. And I’m concerned. I think maybe somebody’s trying to rob it.”
Flying Biscuit Cafe is located at 7930 Rea Road near Interstate 485. Plum Biscuits doesn't exist, and the address is the location of a private home.
Police said after the 911 call, an officer drove to a nearby shopping center, looking for a business with the name of Plum Biscuits. But they said never went to the Flying Biscuit Cafe.
Police didn't arrive at the correct location until six hours later after receiving a second call about a possible incident at the Flying Biscuit. Around the same time, a garbage truck driver told police he had found a woman's body as he was emptying trash at a nearby Chick-fil-A. The victim was later identified as Watson, 25. Police didn't say how she was killed.
The 911 call that Keith Smith made will trigger a review of the departments communication policy.
Now you can all apologize to Cedar
Arrest made. Good job homicide and VCAT.
Dispatcher on administrative leave while this gets sorted out. I heard the 911 call. The boyfriend clearly gave correct address and business name. Dispatching can be a very demanding job, this gentlemen may not be up to it. Yet, dispatching was not issue on this case, it was the timing. Calling two hours later was two hours to late. But, probably wouldn't have helped her at all.
Agree with one of the posts earlier, the Flying Biscut has some explaining to do.
Dissapointed and saddened by the way things are at cmpd,
This is what happens when things are not built on a strong foundation. When you have weak leadership the whole organization is weak.
What is most dissapointing is that not one single member of Executive Staff has stepped up to take a decisive leadership
role at cmpd. From what I have heard, they are all aware of what is going on. Especially the ones that have joined him in the destruction of cmpd and what it once stood for.
It seems there are no real men or women of integrity willing to put their own ambitions and self promotion aside for the greater good of cmpd. They are not willing or capable of standing up for what is decent, honest and ethical.
It is human nature at its worst.
It is a microcosm of what has happened in corrupt countries and governments everywhere.
Think about in history when whole countries have bought into a corrupt leader and followed them and their Big Lies.
The consequences of silence and being a party to corruption by your very silence and unwillingness to stand up for what is right are always dire.
looks like cedar was right on target.
The observer is reporting the suspect apprehended and that the boyfriend gave the correct address. Also that officers checked the location 3930 and just cleared the scene.
So...no one followed up. 911, cmpd or the boyfriend. all they had to do was go back to the recording to get the right info, if they didnt want to bother with the boyfriend.
wonder what created the call about a robery at 6:30 am.
I guess the real question now is time of death to determine if she could have been saved without the screw ups.
Let's face it, there is NO discipline at cmpd, it's like the wild freaking west.
There are no clear policies, no directives anyone follows....rodney changes them so frequently no one can keep up anyhow.
Whn the DNC gets here, they will find a rag tag force, all wearing different uniforms and hats, etc.,..because rodney has NO standards when it comes to that. Hell, he wears whatever he wants....so how can he expect the troops to be any different. Like with everything else, anything goes!
A total breakdown in leadership, no respect for "leadership"',
No respect for fellow Officers, no respect for the public.
Rodney has managed to competely turn cmpd into a DC, Detroit, void of all standards of conduct, uniforms, ethics, integrity, honesty......the only " standard" is you know you are going to get screwed if you are not one of the Posse, you just don't know how or when.
after hearing the 911 call, its pretty clear that the boyfriend said the flying biscuit, but gave the address as 3930 not 7930.
The observer must not have listened to the call before their article was written.
wonder what created the call about a robery at 6:30 am.
Heard from a co-worker with a family member who works at fly-biscuit. Apparently there was a note left about an accident at work,"someone was cut", basically a cover up of some sort gone bad
Now we can sit back and watch the Racial Justice Act in action. If ever a case deserves the death penalty, it would be designed after this one.
Repeat offender, no regards to other's life, premeditated murder, robbery, kidnapping, killing unborn child, car theft, the list goes on...
but he'll probably plead it down to involuntary manslaughter.
no way the perp carried her across that parking lot at 10pm on a friday. It had to be much later, or someone would have seen him.
The boyfriend did not give the correct address but gave correct name. Not that hard to type into gps and will come up.
While I don't believe it's his fault but why did the boyfriend sit at the house for a couple of hours before calling 911? Could he not have given the shopping center name at least, could the dispatch not thought to ask if it was in a shopping center?
When people are panicked mistakes will be made but the boyfriend soundly rather calm.
This is a huge problem on the part of dispatchers but if the cops went to the first address and found it was a home, wouldn't the homeowner know where flying biscuit is, in the area?!
Boyfriend clearly said a business. The shopping center that the cop went to, was that not the one w/ Flying Biscuit in it?
I think there is plenty of blame to go around, not just the dispatcher.
I really hope that someone finally stands up for this girl, and does not allow her to be buried in a wedding dress that signifies a bond to a man that could not be bothered to make a 911 call in a timely manner,check on her, or follow up with police in a reasonable amount of time when he heard nothing. He has shown no remorse about this and has never even said that he wished he had not waited to make that call.
Unfortunately, the parents are probably still in shock and too broken up to process all of this right now.
So sad!
This morning CMPD held a press conference for selected "members of the press" who would accept their announcement that crime is down in Charlotte and that Captain Martha Dozier is particularly resposible for getting crime down in Charlotte in her Providence Division.
Still no one in MSM or City Government has required Monroe to put forward the crime data to back that up: we don't have the CFS data, the crime reports, or the rest of the real information to investigate. That's how Monroe wants to keep it. Cedar and citynewswatch have provided evidence to the contrary.
Mushroom management. Keep them in the dark and feed them *hit.
We're not mushrooms; we're people. Speak up.
They were so quick to throw this Dispatcher under the bus, weren't they? A little too quick, don't you think?
He may have made a mistake.
And it could have been a FAILURE TO SUPERVISE.
And a lack of proper training, since rodney has basically cut all "non essential" training.
A lot of unanswered questions.
But they need a sacrificial lamb, and he has been designated.
Are they protecting this Dispatcher like they did Marcus Jackson, and many other of rodney's friends ?
And where were the Sgts. On duty? And the Captain in the Division, the Sgt. In Communications, the Captain in Communications?
Where were all these people?
Protecting the dispatcher...PLEASE! Did you hear the tape? I clearly heard the "Flying Biscut" mentioned on the 911 call. If the dispatcher had mentioned the correct name over the air an officer would have recognized the place. The Flying Biscut is cop friendly, a bunch of officers have passed through there. As I write that, I wonder how busy we were that night.
While the dispatcher isn't to blame for the death, this was a mistake that needs to rectified before something like this does lead to one.
As for the boyfriend, clearly this girl could have done better. It's a shame.
Cedar, can you post the Keith Larson WBT interview with the fiance?
He seems to contradict himself at the end when questioned about the stabbing.
the call was sent to response area 3, not 2 as a result of the wrong address, so the officer may not have been familiar since not in his area. from what I have heard, the Officer tried to call back the Fiance, but no answer.
Here is the kicker...back to the WBT interview...fiance said that he tells Danielle to always call the house phone because he gets bad cell reception in the house.
He also said that he was not going anywhere, Danielle is a big girl and can take care of her self, and went to sleep at 2am. When questioned as to which number he gave 911 meaning house or cell for call back, he said cell.
Why would you do that if it gets bad reception in the house as you tell everyone else and you know you will be home anxiously awaiting the call
Cedar, has anyone looked for Mr. Keith Alan Smith on the MCSO website? Check it out. You will see a familiar face.
3:57 Seriously is that the guy? That would be sad.
Figure this Cedar, MCSD shows Mark Cox with a race of WHITE NCDOC shows him as BLACK. Not that is matters a thug is a thug, but maybe being a 50/50 really does screw up your mind.
The mug shot looks exactly like the guy in the interviews. Also, a WM with the same name and DOB was charged with cruelty to animals back in 95, but it was dismissed.
Cedar, can you post a link?
The search warrant is out on WBTV's website. http://www.wbtv.com/story/16579972/bloody-uniform-butcher-knife-inside-home-of-flying-biscuit-murder-suspect-warrant-reveals
There is a link in the website for the warrant affidavit. Ms. Watson was dead long before her fiance called the police.
Post a Comment