By the Charlotte Observer. This story that “Michael Harvey, charged in the 2010 death of Valerie Hamilton of Charlotte, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to being a habitual felon”, to quote the article’s first sentence, shows little understanding of North Carolina law.
Being a habitual felon is a status, not a crime. If Harvey is convicted of one or more of the more minor felons he’s charged with in the Valery Hamilton’s death, and determined to be a habitual felon, then the punishment he faces is increased. That prosecutors are adding being a habitual felon to the mix is hardly surprising and certainly doesn’t warrant a story on the front page of the local section of the Observer.
