SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD
Wake County, North Carolina · Transportation · Reentry and CDL training
Original reporting: Ben Humphries, EdNC · October 1, 2026
Adetubokun Adesioye spent seven years in federal prison before he was released in North Carolina, where his daughter and grandchildren live, EdNC’s Ben Humphries reports. When he learned about the Wake Local Reentry Council, he drove his daughter’s car to its Raleigh office and asked to be assigned a case manager.
“I just felt that I wanted to be productive. I wanted to contribute to the community,” he told EdNC.
With his case manager’s help, Adesioye applied for a grant to pay for commercial driver’s license training and was awarded $3,700. During the nine-week program he worked part-time as a warehouse supervisor at the Durham Bulls’ stadium. Now 51, he drives a dump truck for a company called Prime Hauling Solutions, according to the report. He also secured his own one-bedroom apartment, furnished through The Green Chair Project.
It wasn’t easy. Adesioye said he submitted 136 job applications. “Not all businesses in North Carolina do second chances,” he said. He told EdNC he hopes to start his own business one day.
Wake LRC receives about $1 million a year from Wake County versus $150,000 from the state, regional reentry manager Natalie Mabon said. Program manager James Johnson told EdNC the two-year recidivism rate among people who receive its services is 17.5%, compared with 41% statewide.
Location Decision takeaway
North Carolina releases about 20,000 people from state prisons each year, EdNC reports, while employers keep looking for drivers and other skilled workers. Adesioye’s path shows the pieces that turned that gap into a job: case management, grant money for a short credential and an employer willing to hire. It also shows the friction, measured in 136 applications. For employers and economic developers, a well-staffed local reentry council can work as a recruiting partner, but EdNC’s reporting makes clear that capacity depends heavily on local funding. That is our analysis; the facts are as reported.
Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.
Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Ben Humphries, EdNC, October 1, 2026.
This item was sourced and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed under Location Decision’s editorial standards. Second Shift tracks workforce outcomes to inform our broader editorial analysis. All reporting belongs to the credited journalists; read the original story for the full account.