CMPD releases names of 6 police officers accused of sending racist messages
Despite initially asserting that it would not release the names of police officers who were cited for termination after reportedly sending messages with racial slurs and jokes about who could pull over the most Black drivers, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Monday shared their names — and more.
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The FBI is investigating the involved officers for potential civil rights violations, per Chief Estella Patterson’s request. Some of the officers graduated from the same 2024 recruit class, Patterson said last week, and sent messages showing racial, sexual and religious bias. The messages were found during a separate, criminal probe into former CMPD officer Seth Elliott, who was accused of using internal Flock cameras to look up a license plate for a college friend.
The six officers are: Mateo Juarez, 26; Joseph Kelly, 29; Alexander Larsen, 26; Tredan Maronic, 24; Matthew Osborn, 31; and Jeremiah Todman, 25.
Elliott, 25, was also involved in the text messages but resigned in August after he was suspended for the Flock scandal. The remaining six officers were cited for termination earlier this month. As of Monday morning, all officers except Larsen and Todman had resigned in lieu of termination, according to the department. Larsen resigned later Monday. Todman will go in front of a city board that will review their termination citations. Video shows he was the president of CMPD’s 193rd recruit class.
Patterson wants all the officers’ law-enforcement certificates revoked so that they cannot police anyone in the state, and she said she hopes none of them are able to police anywhere in the country.
The Charlotte Observer found the officers may have been involved in more than 300 Mecklenburg County cases. Their names are listed under the complainant field in at least 341 cases logged on the county’s online records.
Patterson also said a review of the officers’ cases and body-worn camera footage has not yet revealed any problems. Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather’s office will also soon begin reviewing cases. Local TV news station WBTV first reported officers had been cited for the offensive messages.
The department also released their start dates and record of any promotions or transfers. The officers’ salaries ranged from nearly $76,000 to more than $85,000.
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Daniel Redford, president of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, declined to comment.
Patterson last week said she was disgusted and angry after reading the messages and disheartened to see the community grappling with “racism coming from within the ranks.” She wanted to share “what I legally can” with the public, she said.
She did not share the officers’ names. CMPD counsel Jessica Battle said Thursday the department “has not and will not release the names or other substantive portions” of the employees’ files because “it is very vital and important for CMPD to uphold the due process and integrity of the still-pending personnel matter.” The officers who did not resign already could still appeal their terminations to a higher court, she said.
Corine Mack, president of Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, told the Observer last week she understood neither the city nor CMPD would release the names, citing personnel confidentiality, adding that “someone — an investigative reporter or someone — needs to get those names and release those names.”
The Observer on Friday asked Battle and CMPD’s public information office how they were justifying keeping the names shielded when names are public record under state statutes. The Observer also asked City Manager Marcus Jones if he would try to release the names and other personnel information, as statutes allow him to do so. In a statement Friday evening, Jones said: “Everything that is required to be released has been or will be released.”
On Monday, CMPD posted the names on its website and said it “recognizes the importance of transparency and public access to information in maintaining public trust. The department remains committed to accountability and providing access to public records in accordance with the law, while respecting the integrity of any ongoing investigations and potential legal proceedings.”
CMPD also said releasing the names and other information “is intended to comply with the public availability of these records per [state statutes], and to address misinformation regarding the officers’ names.”
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Asked what misinformation it was referencing, CMPD did not respond.
This story was originally published October 19, 2026 at 11:52 AM.
