Press Releases

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is mourning the loss of one of its members from a traffic collision in Wayne County.   Trooper Nolan J. Sanders, a five-year veteran of the State Highway Patrol, was involved in a single vehicle collision while on duty in his assigned duty station of Troop C, District 2 (Wayne County).  

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Caroline Riddick-Taylor as the warden of the Caledonia Correctional Institution in Tillery. She has served as the interim warden there since January.

Governor Roy Cooper ordered the people in the state of North Carolina to stay at home for thirty days, until April 29, 2020, in another step to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Governor Cooper’s Executive Order No. 121 takes effect on Monday, March 30 at 5:00 PM and reduces the size of gatherings to 10 people. The order provides for essential businesses to continue to operate while prioritizing social distancing measures. The order has the force of law and will be enforced in all 100 counties statewide.

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that parents who need food assistance for their children can text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877. After entering their address, parents will receive a text with the location and serving times for nearby pick-up and drive-thru free meal sites while schools are closed. Sites have been set up across the state for families with children ages 18 and younger, including preschool children, who rely on free and reduced-price meals at school.

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Cynthia Thornton as the director of Prisons’ newly created Standards and Performance section. Thornton has been the director of Prisons’ Central Region since February 2019, overseeing 15 correctional institutions. She will begin her new position April 6.

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Michael Roach as warden of Dan River Prison Work Farm in Blanch. He has served as assistant warden at the facility since 2015. As warden, Roach is responsible for all operations at the male, minimum custody facility, which features a joint venture with the N.C. Wildlife Commission to restore forest land, parks and lakes across North Carolina.

For people who think they might have COVID-19 and have mild symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends they stay home and call their doctor for medical advice. Most people who get COVID-19 will have mild illness and recover at home.

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Loris Sutton as the new Prisons’ Central Region Director, based in Raleigh. Sutton had been the Director of Operations since October 2019. She takes her new position on April 6. In her new position, Sutton will provide oversight to the central region’s 11 facilities and, after a region realignment in May, to the five female facilities located across the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the first COVID-19 associated deaths.   A person from Cabarrus County died on March 24 from complications associated with the virus. The patient was in their late seventies and had several underlying medical conditions. A second person in their sixties, from Virginia who was traveling through North Carolina also died from COVID-19 complications. To protect the families’ privacy, no further information about these patients will be released.  

Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen and Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry will be available today for a dial-in media briefing at 2 p.m. regarding COVID-19. Please see below for details on how to join the call. A live stream video feed will be available from a pool camera. In order to maintain social distancing guidelines and further prevent the spread of COVID-19, the media room at the State Emergency Operations Center will not be open for media to attend in person.