‘She Can Do Whatever She Wants’: North Carolina Man Jailed for More Than Three Years Says His Ex-Girlfriend Who’s a Magistrate Is Abusing Her Power to Keep Him Behind Bars

A North Carolina man who has been fighting for his release from jail where he’s been languishing for more than three years says his ex-girlfriend, who is a county magistrate, filed domestic violence charges against him and then abused her power to keep him behind bars. Julius Bishop recently spoke to WBTV in a video call from a Mecklenburg County jailhouse, where he talked about his ongoing battle against the domestic abuse allegations he faces. (Credit: WBTV Video Screengrab) Those charges were filed by magistrate Ashley Blackwell, Bishop’s ex-girlfriend, and stem from an incident on July 9, 2021. The pair recounted the events of that day in their own domestic violence protective order (DVPO) filings. Bishop stated that he confronted Blackwell because he caught her cheating. During the confrontation, Blackwell allegedly punched him, then threatened to “kill herself” if he got a protective order against her. In Blackwell’s version of events, she said that Bishop confronted her about an email and then threatened, pushed, and choked her. Bishop admitted that he choked her, but said that she consented to the act as part of their sexual relationship several times. “I knew something was weird about the situation with her giving...