Gov. Cooper pardons NC pastor who spent 8 years in prison for robbery he didn’t commit

Gov. Roy Cooper has pardoned a Pitt County pastor who served eight years in prison for a robbery he did not commit, offering the falsely accused preacher a rare declaration of innocence and making him eligible for $400,000 in state compensation.

The Rev. Darron Carmon was a 19-year-old college student with a clean record in 1993 when police in Winterville charged him with robbing the Fresh Way convenience store at gunpoint and taking $281.

This total clearance of guilt from North Carolina's top executive comes after over 30 years of protests, calls and letters, starting with a plea to former Gov. Jim Hunt while Carmon was still behind bars and continuing long after he was cleared by evidence found hidden inside a police locker.

"I'm grateful today," Carmon said by phone Wednesday. "Gov. Cooper did what a real leader would do. ... A Black boy went to prison for a crime he didn't do, and Gov. Cooper, from a state's perspective, said, 'I'll do what we need to do. We need more leaders like that who are willing to accept responsibility."

Cooper, whose second term will end this year, pardoned another man Wednesday and announced he would commute, or lessen, six sentences.

In Carmon's case, police in Winterville arrested him, though he stood 5-foot-6 with short-cropped hair and the Fresh Way clerk described a robber standing 6 feet tall with an Afro, according to a federal lawsuit he filed against the town . The suit also said Winterville officers hid fingerprint evidence taken from the Fresh Way when it did not match Carmon's.

At trial, Carmon's attorney admitted being unprepared and called only one of three alibi witnesses, court records said. He praised the Fresh Way clerk, the prosecution's only witness, as "practically an expert in identifying people," despite contradictions in his testimony.

Carmon's mother fainted when the Pitt County jury convicted him, and behind bars, the pastor tried to kill himself by collecting and swallowing pills. He got released early in 2001 due to good behavior.

Out of prison, he joined his parents in ministry, becoming pastor at Rebuild Christian Center Church in Winterville and Greater Village Gate Church in Lewiston. He adopted five children and started a pair of nonprofits, Sikono Mentoring and People Against Racism. He earned recognition for his outreach work from two North Carolina governors.

Decades later, his attorneys began interviewing old witnesses and learned Fresh Way clerks were required to place cash greater than $100 in a drop box, and that it was common at the time of the robbery for clerks to report fake robberies and take the money themselves.

But it took until 2022, when the fingerprint evidence surfaced in a police locker, for the state to finally admit its mistake by vacating Carmon's conviction.

Cooper's act Wednesday finally makes it official.

"They even wanted to know why had it taken so long for me to get to this point," Carmon said. "I feel like they really don't understand the system. The system is not designed to overturn a conviction. It's just not designed for that."

North Carolina governors can grant either a pardon of forgiveness, the most common, or a pardon of innocence, which goes only to those who were cleared by the evidence and whose charges were dismissed. As a pardon of innocence recipient, Carmon can now receive $50,000 in state funds for each year in prison.

"He's gotten every sort of accolade you can possibly imagine, from governors Republican and Democrat over the years," said his attorney Abraham Rubert-Schewel. "This is actually the first true assertion by any government of his innocence."

Other pardons, reduced sentences Cooper also pardoned Mark Crotts, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Alamance County in 1992. That conviction was set aside two years later, and further legal action resulted in a hung jury and an acquittal.

The governor commuted these six sentences:

Terrence Smith, 42, who served nearly 25 years for a Forsyth County robbery committed as a teen. Not the shooter in the case, he has expressed remorse, taken community college classes and followed numerous self-improvement programs.

George Lesane, 47, who served over 30 years for a Robeson County murder committed when he was 17. He has finished his GED, taken college courses and became a mentor and faith leader.

Donte Santiago, 40, who served 23 years for an Onslow County murder committed when he was 16. He has earned a GED, become a faith leader and works training service dogs.

Kirston Angell, 34, who served 17 years for a Davie County murder and assault committed at 16. He graduated from college and ministers to young inmates while studying for his master's degree.

Penny Jarrett, 60, who served 27 years of a life sentence for a murder in Guilford County. She has held numerous jobs, pursed many certificates and volunteered to mentor inmates.

Jesse Graham, 71, who served 26 years of a life sentence for a Guilford County murder. He is president of the Central Prison Veterans Club, captain of its weightlifting team, a senior speaker for the Think Smart program and counsels college basketball players.