Man arrested by fired Raleigh police officer wants conviction overturned

A man jailed for more than three years for allegedly selling cocaine to a confidential informant claims drug evidence was planted on him by a detective recently fired by Raleigh police.
Posted 2/10/2022, 10:15:12 PM

HOUR WITH A LOOK AT FUTURE CAST

IN LESS THAN 15 MINUTES.

>>> A MAN IS IN JAIL FOR

SELLING COCAINE AND HE WANTS

HIS CONVICTION OVERTURNED

CLAIMING HE WAS FRAMED BY A

RALEIGH POLICE DETECTIVE.

IT IS THE SAME DETECTIVE FIRED

BY RPD LAST YEAR AFTER MAKING

MORE THAN A DOZEN BOGUS DRUG

ARRESTS.

JOE FISHER HAS BEEN FOLLOWING

THIS STORY FOR MONTHS NOW AND

JOINS US LIVE AT THE WAKE

COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER WITH THE

LATEST TWIST.

>>> DEBORAH, THIS DETECTIVE

WORKING WITH THE SAME

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT ARRESTED

15 MEN WHO WERE LATER RELEASED

BECAUSE THE DRUGS THAT THEY

THOUGHT WERE HEROIN WERE

ACTUALLY NO CONTROLLED

SUBSTANCE AT ALL.

THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER

SUSPECTS SITTING IN JAIL RIGHT

NOW BASED OFF OF INFORMATION

USED BY THAT SAME CONFIDENTIAL

INFORMANT.

WAKE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

HAS AGREED TO REVIEW ALL OF THE

CASES INVOLVING THIS CI BUT

THAT REVIEW APPEARS TO BE SLOW

GOING.

>>> JUST OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

RALEIGH IS WHERE DAVID WEAVER

WAS ARREST DID 3 1/2 YEARS AGO

AFTER POLICE SAY HE SOLD

COCAINE TO A CONFIDENTIAL

INFORMANT.

HE HAS BEEN IN JAIL EVER SINCE,

CLAIMING THE COCAINE WAS

PLANTED ON HIM BY A DETECTIVE

DURING THIS SEARCH AFTER HIS

ARREST.

THE DETECTIVE AND INFORMANT

INVOLVED ARE FAMILIAR NAMES.

THEY HAVE SINCE BEEN LINKED TO

15 BOGUS DRUG ARRESTS.

IT COST THE DETECTIVE HIS JOB

AND PUT THE INFORMANT BEHIND

BARS FOR TURNING OVER FAKE

DRUGS.

WRAL SPOKE TO WAKE COUNTY DA

LAUREN FREEMAN IN SEPTEMBER.

>> HAS YOUR OFFICE TAKEN ANY

STEPS TO REVIEW PREVIOUS CASES

BY THE OFFICER?

>> AT THIS POINT, WHAT WE HAVE

DONE IS TAKE STEPS TO LOOK AT

PREVIOUS CASES USING THIS

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT.

>> Reporter: BUT FIVE MONTHS

LATER, FREEMAN SAYS THE REVIEW

IS STILL ONGOING.

SAYING WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF

REVIEWING MR. WEAVER'S CASE.

IT REMAINS OUR INTENT TO LOOK

AT OTHER CASES INVOLVING THIS

CI.

WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING

TO IDENTIFY THOSE CASES WITH

THE ASSISTANCE OF RPD.

THIS WEEK, A JUDGE RULED RPD

MUST TURN OVER THE DRUG BY

VIDEO TO WEAVER'S ATTORNEY WHO

TELLS WRAL HE PLANS TO USE THE

VIDEO TO HELP OVERTURN

WEAVER'S CONVICTION.

AND TONIGHT WE'RE HEARING FROM

DAVID WEAVER'S FAMILY.

HIS SISTER RELEASING A

STATEMENT THAT WE CAN READ IN

PART, THE INJUSTICE IN MY

BROTHER'S CRIMINAL CASE HAS

BEEN IMPACTING OUR ENTIRE

FAMILY NEGATIVELY.

IT HAS BEEN HURT ALL.

CITIZENS OF RALEIGH EXPECT FOR

OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND LAW

ENFORCEMENT TO ABIDE BY THE

ETHICS, PRINCIPLES, MORAL

STANDARDS AND VALUES THAT THEY

TOOK AN OATH FOR.

WEAVER IS SCHEDULED TO BE

RELEASED FROM JAIL THIS MONTH,

BUT HIS FAMILY IS STILL FOCUSED

ON CLEARING HIS NAME ALTOGETHER.

I DID REACH OUT TO THE

DETECTIVE ALONG WITH HIS

ATTORNEY, WE HAVE NOT HEARD

BACK.

>> WE KNOW YOU WILL KEEP