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Tracking criminals easy with new device - DOC numbersBy Rose HooperYou don't have to be a Jedi knight to chase criminals through space. Now you can pursue them through cyber space from the privacy - and safety - of your home. That's how Geraldine Queen of Tuckasegee tracks the seven convicted in the 1994 torture murder of her son Tony Cecil Queen."All you need is their Department of Corrections number and you can keep track of where they are being held, when they're up for parole, and how much longer they have in prison," said Geraldine Queen. "You can even tell if they've tried to escape and how many infractions they have." She learned of this latest Internet tool during the annual hearing she attends for those convicted in the death of her 24-year-old son. Seven people were convicted of torturing and abusing young Queen, who died of suffocation in 1994 while locked in a closet of a Cullowhee mobile home. While four offenders received life sentences in the case, three were convicted as youthful offender and are eligible each year for parole consideration. In addition to the latest Internet tool, Queen also learned a new procedure at the parole hearings. Now she doesn't have to go to Raleigh each year to testify before the parole commission. Instead, she travels to Charlotte and appears before the commission via the technology of video conferencing at the Mecklenburg Library. "You talk to the same board of commissioners, the procedures are still the same, only you see them on the screen, rather than in person," said Queen, who attended a hearing last month. Queen said she found it interesting the number of infractions several of the offenders have incurred while in prison. "For example, Carlton Anderson has 16, Michelle Vinson has 12 and Vickie Fox has nine," she said. For those interested in keeping track of the offenders, following are their locations and DOC numbers. |
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