What’s the difference between committing the same non-violent crime in one North Carolina county and another? For Daniel Noell, a homeless man convicted of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and drug trafficking in Buncombe and Yancey counties, the difference was vast: he was sentenced to 30 months of probation in Buncombe County and nearly six years in prison in Yancey County.
Director Adams Wood tells Noell’s story in a new short documentary called “Just Over the Line.” The documentary will premiere on Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Facebook page on October 28. Wood joins host Frank Stasio to talk about the process of making the film and what Noell’s story can tell viewers about mass incarceration and unfair sentencing.