The legal process to extradite a 43-year-old Port Angeles man accused of a 2008 North Carolina double homicide took a step forward during a Friday morning court hearing.
Johnny Steven Talbert appeared in Clallam County Superior Court for a scheduled extradition review.
During the proceeding, the court was informed that North Carolina officials are nearing the completion of a Governor’s Warrant—the formal document necessary to compel Talbert’s return to Cabarrus County, North Carolina, to face trial.
Michele Devlin, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Clallam County, confirmed the development Friday afternoon.
Devlin told me that Deputy Prosecutor Tracey Lassus informed the court that “North Carolina is close to having their Governor’s Warrant.”
“When that warrant is completed, it will be sent to Washington’s Governor’s Office,” Devlin said.
A follow-up review hearing was scheduled to check on the status of the warrant, which will take place on Wednesday, June 24.
The Governor’s Warrant process is utilized when a suspect does not voluntarily waive extradition.
The procedure involves the North Carolina Governor’s Office approving a warrant request from the local District Attorney. That warrant is then transmitted to the Washington State Governor’s Office with a request to honor it.
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols previously explained that the process generally takes between 30 and 90 days.
Once Washington honors the warrant, North Carolina authorities will arrange to transport Talbert from the Clallam County Correction Facility, where he is currently being held without bail.
Talbert was arrested without incident on May 21 in the 2300 block of West 18th Street by Port Angeles Police and detectives from the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team.
Authorities in Concord, North Carolina, allege that Talbert is responsible for the July 2008 “Sun Drop Murders.”
During an armed robbery at a local Sun Drop bottling plant, an office manager, Donna Barnhardt, and a church choir leader, Darrell Noles, were fatally shot. Nearly $10,000 was stolen.
Talbert is facing allegations of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a firearm or other dangerous weapon.
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