A local man suspected in two killings that occurred in North Carolina more than a decade ago has been returned to that state, concluding the legal proceedings that kept him detained in Clallam County.
Court documents filed in Clallam County Superior Court on Friday confirm that Johnny S. Talbert, 43, was moved to North Carolina under a Governor's Warrant. A hearing scheduled for July 17 to review the extradition was held after the suspect had already been transported and did not appear in person.
Judge Simon Barnhart issued an order on that date dismissing the Washington state fugitive case with prejudice and releasing any bail that had been posted. The dismissal is limited to the local holdover proceedings; the criminal charges in North Carolina remain active.
In a formal certification, state officials noted that the transfer was executed via a Governor's Warrant, a procedure typically employed when a suspect does not voluntarily agree to be sent back to the requesting state.
Talbert was apprehended on May 21 in the 2300 block of West 18th Street by Port Angeles police officers, who received location data from OPNET detectives. He was subsequently held without bail at the Clallam County Correction Facility. The interval between his arrest and transfer fell within the 30-to-90 day timeframe previously outlined for this type of extradition process.
Prosecutors in Concord, North Carolina, accuse Talbert of involvement in the July 2008 "Sun Drop Murders." During an armed robbery at a bottling plant, an office manager and a church choir leader were fatally shot. Law enforcement stated that approximately $10,000 was taken during the incident.
The suspect is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a firearm or other dangerous weapon. He is scheduled to face trial in Cabarrus County.