A day after a District Court found him not guilty of domestic assault, Patrick Graham resigned as president and CEO of Charlotte Works.
Graham, 47, was arrested in March after a female acquaintance alleged that he assaulted her during a dispute. The Charlotte Works board of directors voted to place Graham on paid administrative leave.
In a statement released Friday, Graham’s attorney, Harold Cogdell Jr., said his client had resigned as leader of the nonprofit organization that promotes workforce development in Mecklenburg County.
In court, Cogdell alleged that Graham, rather than being the aggressor, had been the “victim of multiple assaults (by his accuser) on the evening of March 22, 2018.” Cogdell also alleged in court that Graham’s 46-year-old accuser had tampered with evidence she presented in court to support her claims against Graham. In an interview with Qcitymetro, Graham said on Friday that the evidence in question was an audio recording.
Graham, who previously served as president and CEO of Urban League of Central Carolinas, said the allegations against him had taken an emotional toll.
“Last night was the first time I got a full night’s sleep in three months,” he said.
In the statement released by Cogdell, Graham said he was “inspired by the amount of community support” he received.
“Under current NC law anyone could find themselves in this situation,” he said in the statement. “Reform of our criminal justice system must continue.”
Graham said he was not ready to talk publicly about his career plans, but he said he wanted to remain involved in the social, educational and economic issues that have defined his community-engagement efforts in Charlotte.
“You are never the same after an experience like this,” he said. “I will need the community’s support to use my demonstrated talent to make our neighborhoods better places to live for all.”
