Editing Craven County, North Carolina (section)

==Government and politics==
===Government===
[[File:Craven County Administration Building 01.jpg|thumb|Craven County Administration Building in New Bern]]
Craven County is led by a seven-member board of commissioners, each of whom are elected to represent a district.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cravencountync.gov/1563/Board-of-Commissioners| title = Board of Commissioners| website = Craven County, North Carolina| publisher = Craven County Government| access-date = January 18, 2023}}</ref>

Craven County is a member of the [[Councils of governments in North Carolina|Eastern Carolina Council of Governments]], a regional multi-county planning and economic coordination body.<ref>{{cite news| last = Clouser| first = Elise| title = Eastern Carolina Council board dismisses executive director| newspaper = Carteret County News-Times| date = August 2, 2021| url = https://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_58d4015c-f3d5-11eb-8de9-d3f63398a0e3.html| access-date = January 19, 2023}}</ref> It is located in the [[North Carolina Senate]]'s [[North Carolina's 2nd Senate district|2nd district]] and the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]]' [[North Carolina's 3rd House district|3rd district]], and [[North Carolina's 13th House district|13th district]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/CountyRepresentation/Craven| title = Craven County Representation : 2023-2024 Session| publisher = North Carolina General Assembly| access-date = January 19, 2023}}</ref>

Craven County lies within the bounds of the 4th Prosecutorial District, the 3B [[North Carolina Superior Court|Superior Court]] District, and the 3B [[North Carolina District Courts|District Court]] District.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nccourts.gov/locations/craven-county| title = Craven County| publisher = North Carolina Judicial Branch| access-date = January 12, 2023}}</ref>

=== Judicial system and law enforcement ===
Craven County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 4th Prosecutorial District, the 4th [[North Carolina Superior Court|Superior Court]] District, and the 4th District Court District.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Craven County {{!}} North Carolina Judicial Branch |url=https://www.nccourts.gov/locations/craven-county |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=www.nccourts.gov}}</ref> The Craven County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services for the county, as well as operating the Craven County Detention Center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jail Bureau {{!}} Craven County |url=https://www.cravencountync.gov/297/Jail-Bureau |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=www.cravencountync.gov}}</ref>

=== 2025 Craven County Jail escape ===
In January 2025, John Matthew Nigh, an inmate at the Craven County Jail, escaped from the facility. Nigh was being held in custody on multiple felony charges, including three counts of attempted murder on law enforcement officers in nearby Onslow County. Nigh was assisted in his escape by two cellmates, as they removed a ceiling grating and stuffed a mattress to make it appear to correctional officers that Nigh was sleeping in his cell. Nigh then exited the facility through a ventilation housing. Within 12 hours of the escape, he was detected absent from his cell, and a manhunt ensued. As of February 6, 2025, Nigh has not been located. Law enforcement agencies from the counties of Carteret, Craven, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Onslow, Pamlico, and Pitt are assisting in the search. The [[United States Marshals Service]] is also assisting in search efforts. All North Carolina law enforcement agencies have been notified of his escape.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-29 |title=North Carolina inmate accused of attempted murder escapes via ventilation system |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/north-carolina-inmate-accused-attempted-murder-escapes-ventilation-sys-rcna189737 |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=WCTI |date=2025-01-29 |title=Inmate considered armed and dangerous escapes from jail with help from cellmates |url=https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/inmate-considered-armed-and-dangerous-escapes-from-jail-with-help-from-cellmates-john-matthew-nigh-craven-county-jail-sunday-january-26-2025 |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=KFOX |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Laster |first=Alaina |date=2025-01-31 |title=John Nigh remains at large after Craven County Jail escape |url=https://wcti12.com/news/local/john-nigh-remains-at-large-after-craven-county-jail-escape |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=WCTI |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Greg |date=2025-01-29 |title=Escaped North Carolina inmate has history of trying to flee law enforcement |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/escaped-north-carolina-inmate-has-history-trying-flee-law-enforcement |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Manhunt for North Carolina inmate who escaped from jail through ventilation system: Sheriff's office |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/manhunt-north-carolina-inmate-escaped-jail-ventilation-system/story?id=118195147 |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>

===Politics===
{{PresHead|place=Craven County, North Carolina|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 15, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|33,477|22,011|685|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|31,032|21,148|885|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|27,731|17,630|1,640|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|26,928|18,763|479|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|24,901|19,352|345|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|23,575|14,019|162|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|19,494|12,213|278|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|13,264|10,317|1,610|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|11,575|9,998|3,714|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|12,057|7,313|47|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|12,893|7,186|55|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|8,554|7,781|448|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|5,881|7,553|109|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|9,372|2,384|147|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|2,991|4,240|6,509|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|4,691|7,422|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,680|7,158|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|2,956|6,317|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|2,822|6,092|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|745|5,039|494|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|826|4,872|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|626|4,916|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|453|5,543|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|466|4,375|19|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|2,237|2,494|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|325|2,942|44|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|731|3,413|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|542|1,780|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|79|1,819|190|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|449|1,399|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|268|1,555|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|1,502|2,028|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|2,921|1,810|97|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1892|Republican|1,648|1,305|311|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|2,618|1,359|6|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1884|Republican|2,539|1,330|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresFoot|1880|Republican|2,809|1,180|82|North Carolina}}

Craven is a typical “[[Solid South]]” county in its presidential voting patterns. It was solidly Democratic until the 1960s: in five elections from 1932 to 1948 the Republican Party did not reach fifteen percent of the vote, and only in 1928 when a large anti-Catholic vote was cast against [[Al Smith]] did the GOP reach twenty percent between at least 1900 and 1948. The national Democratic party's support for the [[Civil Rights Movement]] caused its white electorate to defect to [[George Wallace]]’s American Independent campaign in 1968. Since that time, Craven has become a strongly Republican county. The last Democrat to carry Craven County was [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=1976 Presidential General Election Results - North Carolina |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1976&fips=37&f=0&off=0&elect=0&minper=0 |access-date=April 1, 2023 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref> As of March 2022, there were 70,286 registered voters in the county. Of those, 26,225 were registered Republican, 20,135 were registered Democrats, and 23,393 registered unaffiliated.<ref>{{cite news| last = Dunnell| first = Trevor| title = Could early voting play a role in who becomes Craven County's next elected officials?| newspaper = Sun Journal| date = April 25, 2022| url = https://www.newbernsj.com/story/news/2022/04/25/craven-county-early-voting-begins-thursday-what-know/7394063001/| access-date = January 17, 2023}}</ref>