Case dismissed against man accused of killing a Shelby man
After spending more than three years in jail awaiting trial, a Shelby man has been released and the case against him dismissed.
On Monday, attorneys picked a jury to decide if James Lewis Sanford shot and killed Tyrand Sandrell Hopper at a cookout in Shelby on March 20, 2019.
Sanford, now 40, was accused of firing the fatal shot that struck 35-year-old Hopper in the chest.
According to Shelby Police, a 911 call came in just after 9 p.m. on that Saturday night from West Circle Drive in Shelby.
Police arrived to find Hopper on the ground outside of the home where he had been attending the cookout. Police say the incident happened when an argument broke out that ended in gunfire, and Hopper was taken to Atrium Health Cleveland where he died from his injuries.
An arrest warrant was issued for Sanford who turned himself in five days later.
Held without bond, Sanford sat beside his defense attorney, Rick Beam, as case made it to trial this week at the Cleveland County Courthouse.
Before opening statements Tuesday morning, Cleveland County Assistant District Attorney Brittany Padgett told Superior Court Judge Tim Gould there was an issue.
Padgett requested that the case be dismissed because she hadn’t been able to get in touch with her primary witness who’d ignored calls and texts, couldn’t be found at four area residences and didn’t show up Tuesday morning despite a subpoena ordering him to do so.
Gould issued an order requiring the witness to appear in court or be subject to arrest. Once he resurfaces, the District Attorney’s Office could file new charges against Sanford. Padgett declined to comment after the hearing.
The judge dismissed the case and the 12-person jury and alternates, and Sanford was released from jail shortly after.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Case dismissed against man accused of killing a Shelby man
