A Black man has been stranded behind bars in North Carolina amidst the agonizing process of getting in front of a judge to plead his innocence. The accusations..? He’s facing a laundry list of charges filed by a woman he claims has been using her power to make sure he stays in jail.
What Happened to Julius?
Julius Bishop, former head of the Positive Youth Transformation nonprofit, has been in jail since August of 2021. He’s facing domestic violence charges filed by his ex-girlfriend, Ashley Blackwell -- who happens to be a magistrate judge in Mecklenburg County.
The two were together for over five years before things took a serious turn for the worst, Bishop told WBTV. In July 2021, Blackwell accused Bishop of yelling at her over an email, threatening her and choking her, according to a request for a domestic violence protective order. However, in a counter claim, Bishop said he confronted her because he caught her cheating, per court documents. He then alleged Blackwell got physical with him and threatened to kill herself if he got a protective order against her.
Bishop also admitted to choking Blackwell but claimed he was given consent because it was one of her kinks. He also told WBTV he believed her consent to such actions was really an excuse to justify breaking up with him. In the end, only Blackwell’s order was granted.
By August, Bishop was accused of violating her order by going to their shared home, despite Blackwell being the one kicked off the lease - and was arrested, the report says. He was then slammed with five charges of domestic violence protective order violations and additional counts of felony stalking, assault by strangulation, assault on a female and communicating threats.
“I can’t believe it. And I still don’t know when I’m going to get out, to be honest,” Bishop told WBTV during a video call from the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. “[Blackwell] thinks she can do whatever she wants.”
Blackwell’s Alleged Scheme
From day one, Bishop has been standing ten toes on denying the allegations. However, he also voiced his suspicion that his ex had been abusing her judicial powers at his demise. There are a few factors to his case that raise some eyebrows.
First, Blackwell had previously had an ethics complaint filed against her by another judge accusing her of dragging her relationships into her work, per court documents. That judge also accused her of admitting Bishop never hit her but still trying to get a judge assigned to his case that would take her side.
That’s not all: The complaint also claims Blackwell had a “special relationship” with one of the judges who signed off on one of Bishop’s arrest warrants and was allegedly asked by Blackwell to change the judge on Bishop’s case. However, the report says the probe into Blackwell’s actions fell flat.
Let’s also consider other conflicting factors. The report says Bishop’s bond wasn’t set until after a month of him being arrested, which contradicts North Carolina’s 48-hour hold for domestic violence cases. Though, his original $10,000 bond skyrocketed to $100,000 when the jury indicted him. He also refused a plea deal that would give him time served, given a conviction on any of the charges would land him a sentence the length of his current stay in jail.
As of now, he still does not have a trial date.