Well, that's what I meant. i hope that Reade's attorney is looking into the circumstances under which this warrant was generated, activated, reviewed for due diligence, and then served. If the cops had proof that Mostafa knew these women or was related to them or was known to have worked with them before in a criminal activity, they would still have to have some probable cause showing he was involved with them in THIS crime. Someone could have pled guilty and given him up in exchange for a light sentence or one of Nifong's famous probation deals.
The crime took place in 2003, but I am still not sure when the warrant was issued (Yale Galanter said 2003, but I'm not sure he wasn't just talking about when the event happened) and when it was activated. The reason I am suspicious is because Mostafa doesn't seem to be hiding from anyone and, in any case, if he's a licensed cabbie, even NC must have some sort of permit renewal process cabbies go through periodicially as a public safety measure, so the warrant should have been served long ago if it had been issued and activated into their system contemporaneous to the shoplifting case, either way you cut it.
I got ya. I guess I was adding that the state has learned more about the crime since the warrant was issued (a conviction and admission has occured). State agencies are known for not updating their databases or following up..