{"id":791,"date":"2026-05-28T05:04:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=791"},"modified":"2026-05-28T05:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:04:24","slug":"stolen-lives-concord-police-chief-mourns-sun-drop-murder-victims-after-arrest-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=791","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Stolen lives\u2019: Concord police chief mourns Sun Drop murder victims after arrest made"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the arrest of a suspect<\/a> on the West Coast, Concord Police<\/a> Chief James Hughes expressed solace this week to the families of the two people killed at the old Sun Drop Bottling Co. plant in 2008.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCommonly called the Sun Drop murders, this case has weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of our community and our department for nearly 18 years,\u201d Hughes said in a video statement released by the city late Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut no one has shouldered that weight more than Donna and Darrell\u2019s families and loved ones,\u201d Hughes said, referring to the victims, 59-year-old Donna Barnhardt and 44-year-old Darrell Noles.<\/p>\n

Barnhardt was the longtime office manager at the more than century-old, family-run plant. Noles was applying for a job.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing can ever fully take away the pain to replace the lives that have been stolen,\u201d the chief said. \u201cMy hope is the news of the arrest and the pending charges will help ease some of the weight that has been carried for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late Monday, Concord police announced they had obtained an arrest warrant on Thursday, May 21, for 43-year-old Johnny Steven Talbert of Port Angeles, Washington. He was arrested that day by local police there and taken into custody without incident.<\/p>\n

Talbert is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery.<\/p>\n

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Talbert was in the Clallam County Jail in Washington without bail on a fugitive charge Wednesday, Chief Corrections Deputy Don Wenzl told The Charlotte Observer.<\/p>\n

The Clallam County prosecuting attorney\u2019s office<\/a> asked N.C. Gov. Josh Stein\u2019s office to begin work to extradite Talbert, Wenzl said.<\/p>\n

Talbert is scheduled to appear in Clallam County Court June 12.<\/p>\n

Hughes thanked the Port Angeles Police Department<\/a> for helping with the investigation and the Concord \u201cdetectives, officers, supervisors and department leaders who contributed to this case over the years. Your work laid the foundation for where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police said they followed up on hundreds of tips from the community, and over the years continued to investigate and submit evidence for lab tests as technology evolved, according to a city of Concord statement.<\/p>\n

A break in the case happened late last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough a meticulous reexamination of evidence and the pursuit of previously undeveloped leads, detectives uncovered critical information\u201d that led them to Talbert, the city said in its statement. Authorities did not elaborate on what that information was.<\/p>\n

To families and loved ones of other crime victims in the community, Hughes vowed that his department \u201cwill continue to investigate and search for answers no matter how much time has passed. Your loved ones will never be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.<\/i><\/p>\n

Charlotte Observer reporter Maveah Griffith contributed.<\/i><\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 1:10 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After the arrest of a suspect, Concord Police Chief James Hughes expressed solace to the families of the two people killed in the Sun Drop murders cold case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Stolen lives\u2019: Concord police chief mourns Sun Drop murder victims after arrest made - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=791\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Stolen lives\u2019: Concord police chief mourns Sun Drop murder victims after arrest made - 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