Roy Cooper’s 2021 prison releases are back in the spotlight as the former North Carolina governor campaigns for a U.S. Senate seat, with Breitbart News publishing a detailed review of men who left custody under a deal the outlet says was unique among states.
According to Breitbart, Cooper’s administration released 34 people convicted of rape, 51 convicted of indecent liberties with a child, and five arrested for a sexual offense by a substitute parent or custodian. The outlet also reports that 51 inmates serving life sentences were released, and that nearly half of those freed under the arrangement have since reoffended.
Breitbart describes the agreement as the only one in the country in which a sitting governor accepted a quota and did not fight left-wing groups pushing for releases. During a Sunday interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, Cooper framed the matter as a court mandate. “This is something that the state had to do, because the court ordered it,” Cooper said, adding that he believed the plaintiffs in the case “were very frustrated that more weren’t released.”
Breitbart counters that the court acted only because Cooper agreed to the deal in the first place.
Specific Cases Cited
The Breitbart review names multiple individuals it says were freed as part of the arrangement and later ran afoul of the law again.
Joseph Iannarone, released in June 2021 after an arrest for sexual exploitation of a child and DWI, was arrested again in July 2024 in Randolph County on a charge of second-degree exploitation of a minor for distribution of child pornography, according to Breitbart.
Jason Cuthbertson left prison in March 2021 after serving time for parole violations, with prior arrests for assault on a female, indecent liberty with a child, hit and run, and DWI. Breitbart reports that just months after his release, in June 2021, he was arrested on second- and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor charges, and that law enforcement seized multiple images of child pornography.
Jimmie Speight had been imprisoned on charges including breaking and entering, burglary, and three counts of indecent liberties with a minor. Breitbart reports that in 2015, at age 21, he was arrested for a statutory rape offense involving a 14-year-old girl he met on social media. One month after his March 2021 release, Breitbart says, Speight allegedly shot into the car of Edmond Moore Jr. while driving in Greenville, killing Moore instantly.
Jerry Tuttle was released on April 28, 2021, after a criminal history spanning two decades. He had been arrested in November 2017 for indecent liberties with a child; Breitbart reports he was a friend of the victim’s family and allegedly sexually assaulted a 7-year-old boy in his home. Since his release, the outlet says, he has been repeatedly arrested for parole violations.
Arthur Wilson was released in June 2021 while serving a life sentence for first-degree rape. He was accused of entering through the bedroom window of a woman he knew on April 24, 1982, and holding a knife to her head during the assault, and was convicted in May 1983 of first-degree rape, felony, and felony larceny. Breitbart reports that Cooper released him back into Randolph County, where he was later arrested on a Level 4 DWI charge.
Christopher Ballentine was released early in June 2021 while serving a sentence for indecent liberties with a child. He had been convicted in 2016 of indecent liberties with a 12-year-old girl — a neighbor he lured to his house, gave three beers, showed pornography, and then raped, according to Breitbart.
Shannone McClintick was released early in February 2021 while serving a life sentence for first-degree rape. According to Breitbart, he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman who was reading in her bedroom in her family’s home, restraining her with a knife, tying her hands and feet, covering her eyes and mouth, and threatening to murder her if she went to authorities. He was convicted of first-degree rape in February 1984.
Political Fallout
The issue is gaining traction as Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley in one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country. Whatley campaign spokesman DJ Griffin told Breitbart News that Cooper “has a dangerous history of releasing rapists, child molesters, and predators from prison early,” adding that “these heinous criminals should never have been released early from prison, and allowed in many cases to continue committing crimes on unsuspecting North Carolinians.” Griffin said the record “would be disqualifying for someone running for dogcatcher, let alone the U.S. Senate.”
Cooper told CNN’s Raju that he expects the race to finish within a 1- to 3-point margin. Recent polling from East Carolina University and the Trafalgar Group, cited by Breitbart, suggests the gap in the RealClearPolitics polling average has narrowed — a shift the outlet attributes in part to increased name recognition for Whatley against an opponent who has held elective office since 1987.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/14/meet-sexual-predators-child-rapists-democrat-roy-cooper-released-prison/