A North Carolina man who has been combating for his launch from jail the place he’s been languishing for greater than three years says his ex-girlfriend, who’s a county Justice of the Peace, filed home violence costs towards him after which abused her energy to maintain him behind bars.
Julius Bishop not too long ago spoke to WBTV in a video name from a Mecklenburg County jailhouse, the place he talked about his ongoing battle towards the home abuse allegations he faces.
These costs had been filed by Justice of the Peace Ashley Blackwell, Bishop’s ex-girlfriend, and stem from an incident on July 9, 2021.
The pair recounted the occasions of that day in their very own home violence protecting order (DVPO) filings.
Bishop said that he confronted Blackwell as a result of he caught her dishonest. In the course of the confrontation, Blackwell allegedly punched him, then threatened to “kill herself” if he acquired a protecting order towards her.
In Blackwell’s model of occasions, she stated that Bishop confronted her about an electronic mail after which threatened, pushed, and choked her. Bishop admitted that he choked her, however stated that she consented to the act as a part of their sexual relationship a number of occasions.
“I knew one thing was bizarre concerning the scenario together with her giving me consent after which in the future she tells me to cease, and I ended,” Bishop advised WBTV, including that he believes Blackwell was attempting to set him up and finish their relationship to commit to a different one.
Blackwell’s protecting order was granted however Bishop’s was denied.
Then, in August 2021, Bishop was arrested for violating Blackwell’s protecting order after he confirmed up at a house the couple shared though they amended a lease to maintain Bishop’s title on the property data and take away Blackwell’s.
“I confirmed the police a duplicate of the one which I had achieved, and he or she signed, they usually went together with her as a result of she was a (Justice of the Peace), after all, they usually all knew her,” Bishop stated.
Regardless, Blackwell was arrested and charged with 5 counts of home violence protecting order violations.
State regulation bars people arrested for home violence from leaving jail for not less than 48 hours, however Bishop was jailed for a month earlier than his bond was set. For the subsequent three months, his bond wavered round $10,000 and included different situations.
Then, on Dec. 15, 2021, a grand jury indicted him on 4 extra costs within the home violence case together with felony stalking, assault by strangulation, assault on a feminine, and speaking threats.
Two weeks later, his bond was set at $100,000. He was unable to pay that quantity and has been in jail ever since.
“She thinks she will be able to do no matter she desires,” Bishop stated about Blackwell. “The factor that hurts me probably the most is I’ve been right here for 3 years, and I’ve misplaced eight relations that I ought to have buried within the floor.”
In March 2023, one other county Justice of the Peace filed a criticism towards Blackwell accusing her of entangling romantic relationships in her work and requesting particular therapy from judges for a romantic curiosity going through felony costs.
The criticism claimed that she had romantic relationships with felony defendants, together with one convicted of manslaughter, and a sheriff’s deputy assigned to the county courthouse.
“There isn’t any cause for a Justice of the Peace Decide to behave so immoral, unethical, and mendacity as she has,” Justice of the Peace Cheryl Ivery wrote in her criticism.
These courtroom paperwork additionally alleged that Blackwell advised Ivery that she had a “particular relationship” with former Chief District Decide Elizabeth Trosch, who as soon as oversaw all of the magistrates within the county and was the decide who accepted Blackwell’s DVPO.
On the matter of her relationship with Bishop, Ivery wrote that Blackwell advised her that Bishop caught her dishonest they usually acquired into an enormous argument in July 2021.
“I requested her if he touched her and he or she stated ‘no,’” Ivery wrote within the criticism. “Nevertheless, greater than a month later, she then stated she acquired a warrant towards him for home violence.”
Ivery additionally wrote that Blackwell revealed that she requested Decide Trosch to alter the decide overseeing the home violence case towards Bishop as a result of she didn’t like the best way the case was being dealt with. Court docket data revealed that the decide was swapped out, in keeping with WBTV.
Blackwell was suspended from her duties pending an investigation and listening to into the criticism. In December 2023, she was reinstated to her place after a decide dominated that he didn’t discover “clear and convincing proof” that Blackwell “improperly used her place to affect” case outcomes.
The decide additionally dominated that Blackwell by no means fabricated the story about Bishop.
Bishop has nonetheless not gone to trial within the home violence case.
Issues over his psychological well being have surfaced in courtroom and partly account for why his trial has been delayed. Police data present Blackwell advised police in 2021 that Bishop was schizophrenic, which Bishop denied.
In 2022, his court-appointed lawyer requested a forensic analysis, claiming Bishop displayed fixed temper swings and irrational ideas.
Bishop rejected these analysis makes an attempt, however a decide ordered him to have a psychological well being analysis in 2023. His outcomes confirmed he by no means had a historical past of psychological sickness. He additionally accomplished a capability restoration program to affirm his psychological health and transfer his case ahead.
He stated that prosecutors provided him a plea deal for time served, however he rejected the cut price, saying, “You retain that plea due to defamation of my character, character assassination.”
Earlier than he was arrested, Bishop ran a non-profit referred to as Optimistic Youth Transformation to mentor youngsters in the neighborhood.
He says he hopes that when he’s launched, he can return to that impactful work.
His trial date has been set for Feb. 24, 2025.
