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American college student Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance in Dominican Republic: timeline

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American college student Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance in Dominican Republic: timeline

The mysterious disappearance of an American college student in the Dominican Republic has captured national and international attention.

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the early morning hours of March 6. She has yet to be located.

Here is what we know so far about the events leading up to and after Konanki’s disappearance:

March 3

Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic with her friends on March 3. They stayed at the the five-star RIU Republica Resort with a group of six female Pitt students, according to authorities.

March 4

The RIU Republica experienced a power outage that began during the early morning hours of March 4 into Wednesday, March 5.

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Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)

March 5

The majority of the electrical outage lasts until 1:27 a.m. on March 5, and after 3 a.m., “service was restored to 70%,” RIU Resorts and Hotels told Fox News Digital.

The remaining 30% of the electrical outage lasted through March 5 and into March 6.

MISSING AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT’S SPRING BREAK DISAPPEARANCE ‘TOO EARLY’ TO RULE DROWNING

US college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025.  (Fox News Graphics)

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Konanki went to a hotel bar with her friends, presumably until the early morning hours of March 6.

March 6

3 a.m.

“[T]he remaining power supply was fully reinstated on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, specifically at 02:13 AM, which is before the time of the disappearance,” RIU Resorts and Hotels said. “The lobby and common areas remained powered throughout the entire day of March 5 and the early hours of March 6.

The hotel company followed up saying, “In response to publications linking the electrical failure experienced at the Riu Republica hotel with the tragic disappearance of guest Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts wishes to firmly clarify that both events are completely unrelated.”

Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

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3:30 a.m. – 3:55 a.m.

Surveillance cameras captured Konanki and a group of friends in the hotel lobby around 3:30 a.m., sharing and consuming some type of beverage in the area. They moved to a hotel bar called Bar Macao at approximately 3:55 a.m., sharing another type of beverage, according to officials.

4:17 a.m.

The group of eight friends walks to the beach from the hotel bar. During the power outage, surveillance cameras were still working to capture video of Konanki walking with a young man, who had his arms wrapped around her shoulders after 4 a.m. on March 6.

Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic on March 6. 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

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“The last recorded image of her was at 04:17 AM, when she was seen leaving a hotel bar in a group heading towards the beach. RIU staff acted appropriately upon being notified of the disappearance, fulfilling their duty to inform the authorities, with whom, as expected, cooperation has been absolute,” the hotel group said.

There was a red flag warning of high waves posted at the beach as a recommendations for visitors to not enter the water.

WATCH THE HOTEL SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE:

4:50 a.m.

Konanki was seen for the last time around 4:50 a.m. walking on the beach outside the RIU Republica, according to a flyer being circulated online. 

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5:55 a.m.

The footage then shows a group of six people, including five women and one man, returning to the hotel from the beach around 5:55 a.m.

Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

One person reportedly stayed behind with Konanki on the beach into the early morning hours of March 6, ABC News reported, citing an investigative police report. 

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A member of the civil defense canine unit searches on Monday for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, last week. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)

9:00 a.m.

The young man previously seen with Konanki is seen on surveillance footage entering the interior of the hotel around 9:00 a.m. on March 6.

La Policia Nacional, the country’s national police force, later said the young man is under investigation.

He apparently said he was in the water at the same beach, and authorities were questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement from police.

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Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a college student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

Local outlet Noticias SIN similarly reported that a man, who was also a guest at the same resort, was the last person seen with Konanki and reportedly told police several different versions of what happened.

The man reportedly said he entered the water with Konanki, but the rough surf made him sick, so he went back to shore, leaving Konanki in the water.

In another version of the story, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. The man additionally claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach, according to reporting from Noticias SIN.

4 p.m.

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Konanki’s friends reported her missing around 4 p.m. on March 6.

People enjoy time on the beach the sea at the RIU  Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

March 7

The search for Konanki ensues. Authorities find her sandals and a sarong-style beach gown on a chair by the beach.

March 8

The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic said it is working with the State Department and law enforcement on the ground, according to a Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

Sudiksha Konanki appears in an undated photo on her TikTok profile. She was last seen on March 6 at a resort beach in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)

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“Our Sheriff’s Office is supporting those efforts and continuing to investigate locally,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning.

Defensa Civil Dominicana, a Dominican Republic search and rescue force, completed a full day’s search with operations scheduled to resume on Sunday.

“The Orange Search and Rescue Unit, along with other institutions, worked from early Saturday hours, trying to find the whereabouts of the young woman, Sudiksha Konanki, without success,” the agency said in a social media post.

Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6. (Facebook)

RIU Hotels said in a statement one of its guests has not been seen since the early hours of March 6.

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“From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search,” RIU Hotels said in a statement. “We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation.”

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The hotel added  that its team is “providing full support to the authorities in the search, and an emergency protocol has been activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken.”

One report suggested Sudiksha Konanki drowned in the ocean in Punta Cana after getting swept up by a big wave. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)

March 9

Defensa Civil Dominicana resumed its search for Konanki at 6 a.m. on Sunday.

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March 10

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares told “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning his office is “still in the information-gathering stage.”

“Her friends have all been accounted for, that is the good news,” he said. “Obviously, our heart breaks for the family. We want to find her, we want to hopefully find her safe and sound. Right now, there is just so much that we don’t know.” 

Military personnel and civil defense members search for Sudiksha Konanki, a student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

 

When asked about a Monday report that Konanki may have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital authorities “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”

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“As of last night, investigators were still actively interviewing persons who may have seen or been says her last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, as well as reviewing surveillance video and phone records to help ascertain what happened and why,” spokesperson Thomas Julia said.

March 11

The Tuesday after Konanki’s Thursday morning disappearance, Julia told Fox News Digital that an American man in his 20s was a person of interest in the case.

That man said via phone call that he did not want to comment “at this time.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the LCSO at 703-777-1021. To remain anonymous, call the Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Greg Norman, Lorraine Taylor and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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Ex-mayor caught in lewd act at booze-filled pool party, prosecutors say

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Ex-mayor caught in lewd act at booze-filled pool party, prosecutors say

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A former Louisiana mayor is on trial after prosecutors allege her teenage son caught her having sex with one of his 16-year-old friends at a booze-filled pool party. 

Misty Roberts, 43, the former mayor of DeRidder, is facing charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to KPLC. She has pleaded not guilty. 

Roberts’ second trial is underway after the first case resulted in a mistrial due to judicial issues in nearby Beauregard Parish, the outlet reported. 

The charges stem from a 2024 late-night gathering at Roberts’ home. 

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Misty Roberts, 43, the former mayor of DeRidder, is facing charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to KPLC.  (Louisiana Highway Patrol)

Last week, Roberts’ children and her ex-husband took the stand in her trial, along with a DoorDash driver, family friend and multiple teenagers who were present at the party, according to KPLC. 

Jurors were shown a video interview of Roberts’ son, taken last year, in which the teenager reportedly told authorities he witnessed his mother having sex with his friend through a crack in a window during the party. 

However, upon taking the stand last week, the teenager reportedly told jurors he was not certain of what he actually saw that evening. 

Roberts’ defense attorneys have disputed the recording, telling jurors that part of the interview could have been improperly transcribed. 

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Prosecutors allege Misty Roberts had sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a booze-filled house party in 2024. (Misty Roberts/Facebook)

Text messages between the mother and son were also shown to the jury, with the pair discussing what type of alcohol the teenagers wanted for the party. 

In another exchange, Roberts’ son warned her of the victim’s age, texting her, “He is seventeen,” according to the outlet. The victim was 16 years old at the time of the alleged incident. 

Additional text messages from the night of the party show Roberts’ son calling the situation “crazy” and telling her that his younger sister was emotional. 

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Upon taking the stand, Roberts’ daughter told the court that she witnessed her mother and the victim “on top of each other” the night of the party,” KPLC reported. 

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Following the alleged encounter, prosecutors reportedly said the victim’s mother texted Roberts to confirm she was not pregnant. 

Roberts replied that she was on birth control, and later screenshotted the messages and sent them in a separate group chat while suggesting she would take an emergency contraceptive known as “Plan B.” 

Jurors also heard from a DoorDash driver who testified that he fulfilled an order from “Misty C” to purchase the emergency contraceptive and leave it at the front door of the home, the outlet reported. 

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The driver added that he later heard rumors about the alleged incident and believed his delivery was connected. 

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Roberts’ nephew also testified that he attempted to see what was happening in the room during the party by using his phone’s camera, but was unsure if he recorded any footage and did not send anything to anyone following the alleged encounter, according to the outlet.  

The nephew also admitted to deleting his Snapchat memories before investigators took custody of his phone because he did not want to get in trouble over photos of underage drinking, adding he did not intend to delete evidence. 

Another member of the victim’s friend group also told jurors that he witnessed Roberts flirting with the victim on the night of the party, while revealing the boy appeared to be drunk and vomited later that night, KPLC reported. 

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On Saturday, Roberts’ ex-husband, Duncan Clanton, reportedly testified that Roberts confessed to having sex with the teenage boy and that the couple’s children had caught them in the act. 

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Misty Roberts is currently on trial in Beauregard Parish for allegedly having sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a house party in 2024. (Google Maps)

Jurors were also shown text messages between the married couple, in which Clanton told Roberts, “I would deny what happened if you’re approached by anyone at the meeting,” on the day of a city council meeting. 

In another exchange, Clanton reportedly testified Roberts texted him, “I need you to deny it, please.”

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Clanton added that while he refused to deny the allegations, he avoided talking about the incident. 

“I can’t keep hurting others, friends and family. Lord knows I’ve done enough,” Roberts reportedly texted Clanton, according to KPLC. 

On cross-examination, when Roberts’ defense attorney asked Clanton if he felt as though Roberts was a good mom, the father reportedly answered, “No.”

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Roberts resigned from her position as mayor just days before her arrest in 2024. She was initially prohibited from making contact with her children without permission from Clanton and the court revoked child support.

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Roberts’ defense attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.  

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Florida man who wrestled cop’s gun away and killed him, executed after final appeals rejected

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Florida man who wrestled cop’s gun away and killed him, executed after final appeals rejected

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A Florida man who prosecutors say wrestled a police officer’s service weapon away during a 1991 traffic stop and fatally shot him was executed Tuesday evening after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeals.

Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is set to receive a three-drug lethal injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke.

Kearse was sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. The Florida Supreme Court later ruled that jurors were not properly instructed on aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing hearing. He was resentenced to death in 1997.

Kearse’s execution would mark the state’s third in 2026, following a record 19 executions in 2025.

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Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP)

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed more death warrants last year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Before that, the highest number in a single year was eight in 1984 and 2014 under governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.

Court records show Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish stopped Kearse in January 1991 for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. After Kearse failed to produce a valid driver’s license and resisted being handcuffed, a struggle broke out.

During the confrontation, Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm and fired 14 shots, striking the officer nine times and hitting his body armor four times, prosecutors said. A nearby taxi driver heard the gunfire and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.

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This photo shows a gurney used in giving lethal injections to convicted death row inmates. (Sue Ogrocki, File)

Parrish was taken to a hospital, where he died from his wounds.

Investigators used license plate information Parrish had radioed in before the struggle to identify Kearse’s vehicle and home address. He was arrested shortly afterward.

Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied Kearse’s appeals, in which his attorneys argued he was deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability made him ineligible for execution. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal Tuesday without comment.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. last year. Florida carried out the most, outpacing Texas, South Carolina and Alabama, which each conducted five executions.

Two more executions are scheduled in Florida this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is set to be executed March 17. James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled for March 31.

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Duckett, a former police officer, was convicted in 1987 of raping and murdering 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. At the time, he was working for the Mascotte Police Department when McAbee was last seen getting into his patrol car outside a convenience store. Her body was later found less than a mile away in a lake. Authorities said she had been sexually battered, strangled and drowned.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Violent repeat offender accused in Charlotte knife attack was free despite decade-long rap sheet

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Violent repeat offender accused in Charlotte knife attack was free despite decade-long rap sheet

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A North Carolina man accused of stabbing another individual in broad daylight has faced more than 18 criminal charges over the past decade, including assault-related cases and a domestic-violence conviction, before the latest violent incident, court records show.

Micah Emmanuel Ragin, 31, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury after a Feb. 28 altercation in east Charlotte.

According to police, officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault involving a knife. When they arrived, they found a man with a stab wound to a knee. Investigators say the suspect discarded a bag and the knife into a nearby creek and then boarded a city bus as it left the area.

Authorities later located the bus and identified Ragin as the suspect after reviewing transit security footage. Officers recovered a kitchen knife from the creek in the area shown on video. During an interview, police said Ragin admitted to being involved in a physical altercation but did not acknowledge the stabbing.

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Micah Emmanuel Ragin, 31, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in Charlotte, N.C. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)

A review of North Carolina court records shows Ragin’s interactions with law enforcement date back to at least 2015 and span multiple counties.

In 2016, he pleaded guilty to violating a domestic violence protective order, receiving a 24-day jail sentence and a court-ordered no-contact condition.

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In prior years, he was charged in separate cases with assault on a female, assault on a campus police officer, communicating threats and resisting a public officer. Several of those cases were ultimately dismissed, including multiple charges in 2019 that court records state were “unable to prosecute due to COVID-19 court closures.”

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Records also show misdemeanor drug and trespass convictions.

Altogether, court records indicate Ragin has faced more than 18 charges in several counties over multiple years before the current felony accusation.

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The alleged stabbing comes months after the fatal killing of a young woman aboard a Charlotte light rail train, a case that drew national attention and intensified debate over repeat offenders and pandemic-era criminal justice policies.

Iryna Zarutska cowers as her attacker towers over her. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)

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That earlier case involved a defendant who was under state supervision at the time of the attack and prompted scrutiny of a 2021 COVID-era prison settlement negotiated during former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration. The agreement authorized the early release or transition of approximately 3,500 incarcerated individuals. Republican officials claimed the agreement released dangerous offenders, while state officials have said the settlement primarily targeted medically vulnerable and nonviolent inmates. 

State corrections officials have also said the light rail defendant was not released early as a result of that settlement and had completed his mandatory minimum sentence, though his name appeared on a settlement-related list due to retroactive eligibility criteria.

Republican officials have argued the cases reflect broader concerns about repeat offenders cycling through the system, while Democrats have defended pandemic-era decisions as necessary public health measures.

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Republican Michael Whatley, left, and Democrat Roy Cooper (Getty Images)

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“Micah Ragin was arrested and let back onto the streets 18 times too many — including under then-Governor Roy Cooper’s COVID mass inmate release,” Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“Have Charlotte’s pro-crime Democrats learned nothing from Iryna’s tragic murder? How many victims will it take to finally keep criminals behind bars? The Queen City has been stained by crimes that are preventable — they are lucky this wasn’t the next Iryna Zarutska.”

Nick Puglia, regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, echoed similar criticism.

“Yet again, Roy Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies allowed a violent career criminal to roam free, resulting in a vicious attack. Cooper coddles criminals and North Carolinians pay the price,” Puglia said.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley criticized what he described as “soft-on-crime” policies.

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“Criminals belong behind bars. As a senator, I will always back the blue and fight to keep our communities safe,” Whatley said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Cooper, who previously served two terms as North Carolina’s governor and is now running for the U.S. Senate, has defended his record on public safety and pushed back on Republican criticism.

“Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and we must keep North Carolinians safe,” a spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “These Republican attacks are false – Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general, and signing tough-on-crime laws and stricter pretrial release bail policy as governor.”

Cooper’s campaign has previously defended pandemic-era decisions as necessary public health measures and has denied that COVID-related policies led to the early release of dangerous offenders.

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Ragin’s felony case is pending, and officials have not announced a trial date.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

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