The south Charlotte restaurant where a pregnant manager was fatally stabbed could face a state alcohol law violation for hiring a convicted felon.

Mark Anthony Cox is charged with armed robbery and murder in the Jan. 13 death of 25-year-old Danielle Watson, a manager at The Flying Biscuit Cafe in the StoneCrest shopping center on Rea Road. Prosecutors have said they also plan to charge Cox with the murder of Watson's unborn child.

Since Watson's death, the restaurant has come under fire for hiring Cox, a 22-year-old who was released from prison in November after serving time on robbery and breaking and entering charges. The incident has also raised broader concerns about ex-convicts in the workplace, and the potential for danger to other employees and customers.

The Flying Biscuit Cafe's owner told Alcohol Law Enforcement agents that a background check had not been performed on Cox, according to Patty McQuillan, spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

It's not illegal for restaurants to hire felons, and background checks are only required in some fields, such as child care and health care. But state law does prohibit businesses with a permit to sell alcohol from knowingly employing any person "in the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages" who has been convicted of a felony within the last three years.

A violation report about Cox's hiring will be submitted to the ABC Commission, which will decide if any further action should be taken, McQuillan said. It's unclear what the exact punishment might be, but N.C. law gives the Commission the power to suspend or revoke permits to sell alcoholic beverages, and also to issue fines.

Although no background check was apparently done, Cox acknowledged a previous conviction during his interview, owner Hugh Bigham said in a statement sent to WBTV.

"He was given a chance and initially hired on a trial basis," he told the TV station. Bigham said that during Cox's brief employment at the restaurant, Cox "performed his responsibilities accordingly and was trusted by his co-workers."

Bigham could not be reached by the Observer on Wednesday. It's unclear whether the restaurant knew the nature of Cox's prior convictions.

He was convicted in 2009 of robbing a Sonic Drive-In restaurant in Roanoke Rapids, where he worked, according to media reports. He was put on probation for the crime, but was sent to prison after he was charged with breaking and entering in Wake County, records show.

After his November release from prison, Cox was placed on post-release supervision for nine months, said Keith Acree, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Public Safety. As part of his parole, Cox was ordered to find a job or go to school.

He was also ordered not possess a gun, "destructive device or other dangerous weapon," and was required to meet with a supervising officer. Acree didn't say how often Cox met with an officer, but said the felon had met with the officer "frequently" since his release.

On the night of Jan. 13, Watson was closing The Flying Biscuit Cafe, where she'd worked for about a month as a manager. The next morning, an employee who arrived to open the restaurant found blood on the floors and an open safe. Watson's body was found behind a trash bin nearby.

Cox told his sister that he'd stabbed Watson multiple times, according to a police search warrant. When Charlotte-Mecklenburg police searched the apartment where he was living across the street from the cafe, officers found a trail of blood leading to the apartment, as well as a large butcher knife on the kitchen counter, the warrant says. Cox's sister told police that he taken Watson's car and planned to dump the bloody clothes and vehicle in a river.

Cox was arrested days later in Fayetteville.

The case has raised questions locally about the hiring of felons.

About 97 percent of people sent to prison are released, said Myra Clark, executive director of the Charlotte-based Center for Community Transitions, which provides employment and transition services to people with criminal records.

"Then, the next question is, what are they going to do when they get out?" Clark said. "What happens to them if there are no options?"

She said people with criminal backgrounds, including felons, need to find work. "We know they're less likely to commit crimes if they're productively engaged in work," she said.

But Clark said employers should make "informed decisions" when hiring an ex-con.

She said employers should consider the amount of time passed since the crime was committed, what the person has done since that crime and the position for which the person is being considered.

Clark said she's worked with many people who've made the decision the walk away from their pasts. Now, they're quietly living their lives and making a difference in the community through their jobs.

"I just feel very sorry that this happened to that young woman," she said. "I feel sad that the actions of this one person, for many people, represents the whole segment of our population. But it doesn't."

Staff writer Gary L. Wright contributed.