He says his criminal past can be a lesson. Now, he’s running for CMS school board
A man with a lengthy criminal history implicated in helping a student break Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools athletic rules is running for a school board seat.
Juanrique Hall, 50, is an alumnus of West Charlotte High School who’s running for the District 2 seat. He told The Charlotte Observer he’s coached football at the school since 2011, is an outreach worker for the city’s Alternatives to Violence program and helps assess at-risk students and offenders returning from the court system integrate back into the community.
“How am I supposed to teach kids not to do wrong if I haven’t done anything wrong?” Hall told the Observer in a telephone interview Thursday. “It’s life experience. Every average human has had a traffic violation. I was a child when I was incarcerated.”
Hall says he’s running to make a difference in children’s lives and ensure all students are treated equally. Election Day is Nov. 8. Early voting starts Oct. 20.
Since 2000, Hall has been charged with offenses that include driving with a revoked license, fleeing and eluding arrest, exploiting the elderly, a felony and resisting arrest, according to North Carolina court records.
Criminal history
Hall pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after driving while his license was revoked in 2009 and sentenced to pay $180 in court costs. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to fleeing and eluding arrest, receiving 18 months of probation, 90-day community punishment and fined $250. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2002, receiving 12 months of probation, 24 hours of community service and ordered to pay $100 of court costs and a $100 fine. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving to endanger in 2000 and sentenced to pay $90 of court costs, according to court records.
He was charged with driving an unregistered vehicle or allowing someone to drive the unregistered vehicle June 29 in Mecklenburg County. His trial date in criminal district court is set for Dec. 14, court records show.
“The thing of it is, I don’t care who knows my history,” Hall said. “Everything is public record. Some people don’t get caught for the wrong they do.”
Since 2000, Hall has been charged with more than 30 vehicle-related offenses. In most cases, charges were dismissed. Several records show Hall failed to appear in court.
In the mid-1990s, Hall was twice guilty of possession of cocaine and sentenced to prison time, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. He told the Observer his criminal record and time in prison were the only reason he was hired in February to work with the Alternatives to Violence program. The program works to stop shootings and killings in the Beatties Ford/LaSalle area using three main strategies: detecting and interrupting conflicts, identifying and treating individuals at high risk of involvement in violence and changing social norms that exacerbate violence in the community, according to the city’s website.
Hall said a person can’t work in the program unless they had spent time in prison. However, Federico Rios, an assistant director in housing and neighborhood services for the city of Charlotte, said a criminal record is not a prerequisite for working on the ATV program.
“You have to be a credible messenger,” Rios said, adding the program model requires trained violence interrupters and outreach workers who identify and mediate potential lethal conflicts and follow up to ensure incidents don’t reignite later.
Registered as a volunteer for West Charlotte?
A CMS spokesperson told the Observer this week Hall has never been on the district’s payroll for any coaching position and has never appeared on any roster for any CMS athletic team.
In a video posted to his Facebook page Aug. 3 and reposted Tuesday, Hall claimed he’s the assistant head coach at West Charlotte High. He used the West Charlotte High football logo during the 1-minute long campaign video. A CMS spokesperson told the Observer Hall is no longer associated with any sports program at the school.
Hall was on the sidelines of West Charlotte High’s football games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, two sources close to the program told the Observer. The sources said he was neither a regular at practice nor assigned a group of players to coach.
Hall on Thursday said he’s always volunteered his services as a coach and “never got paid.”
“I do it out of the goodness of my heart,” he said. “I’m a very influential person when it comes down to kids.”
It’s unclear if Hall is registered as a volunteer for CMS. Cassie Fambro, a district media relations specialist, said CMS cannot give out certain information pertaining to volunteers because of state policy.
In the spring, when West Charlotte High was made aware of a student-athlete who was ineligible for the 2021-22 football season, school administrators investigated and determined it was true based on residence requirements. School officials voluntarily reported the violation to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). Following an investigation, NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker ruled West Charlotte was in violation for using an ineligible player-residence requirement.
West Charlotte forfeited all 2021-2022 football games, returned any money earned from playoff games and paid a $250 fine.
According to an independent source with direct knowledge about the Lions program, the student-athlete who was in violation of state rules was using the address of a daycare Hall’s wife owns. The wife is listed as the owner of Carter’s Child Care, at 2617 Southwest Blvd., right across the street from the school.
Hall told the Observer he walked away from volunteering with West Charlotte High’s football squad to focus on his school board campaign.
Campaign built on service to students
Hall faces two others in the District 2 race — incumbent Thelma Byers-Bailey and African American Faith Alliance pastor Monte Witherspoon. Hall told the Observer this week his campaign is built on a simple principle: “serving students not sides.”
“We believe that the key to a student’s success is rooted in an equal partnership between the student, their family, their educators and the administration of their school,” Hall said. “We place a high value on every student in our district. Our campaign’s mission is to destigmatize students with disabilities, support those within the LGBTQ+ community all while respecting the rights and roles of parents in their children’s education.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 8:56 AM.
