Talbert extradition to be heard in July

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 25, 2026

PORT ANGELES — An extradition hearing for a man wanted on two counts of first-degree murder in a North Carolina cold case will be conducted next month in Clallam County Superior Court.

Johnny Steven Talbert, 43, appeared Wednesday before Judge Simon Barnhart, who set a review hearing for 9 a.m. July 10.

Talbert is the prime suspect in the June 13, 2008, murders of Donna Barnhardt, 59, and Darrell Noles, 44, according to court records. The shootings occurred during a robbery at the Sun Drop bottling plant in Concord, N.C., about 25 miles north of Charlotte.

Talbert also has been charged with first-degree robbery with a dangerous weapon in Cabarrus County, N.C.

Following a warrant and an extradition request, Talbert, a transient, was arrested May 21 by Port Angeles police officers and has been held without bail since then at the Clallam County Jail. Judge Elizabeth Stanley signed an order to hold Talbert for 30 days during his first court appearance on May 22.

Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tracey Lassus said Wednesday that a governor’s warrant from North Carolina has been received by the state of Washington. Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office issued a warrant for Talbert on June 17, according to court records.

The U.S. Marshal’s office is actively working with law enforcement agencies to schedule transportation to take Talbert back to North Carolina, Lassus said.

Washington state law allows for time to apply for a habeas corpus hearing, which would allow a judge to examine the accuracy of the paperwork and to confirm the identity of the person prior to extradition.

A typical timeframe is 30 days, but an extension can be filed for up to 120 days, depending on the type of charge, Lassus said earlier this month.

North Carolina prosecutors believe Talbert spent just a few minutes inside the Sun Drop plant, stole cash from the office, threw it in a box and took off running after he shot and killed Barnhardt and Noles.

Barnhardt was the office manager who had worked for the company for 18 years. Noles was a leader of his church choir who was applying for a job at the plant, according to published reports.

The warrant for Talbert’s arrest stated $9,905.42 was taken from the scene.

A police sketch was released shortly after the incident. A cash reward was offered and eventually increased to $85,000. In May 2009, the case was featured on an episode of America’s Most Wanted, but no arrests had been made.

Talbert was among those who had been contacted by Concord police following the crime, but he left North Carolina shortly thereafter, according to Port Angeles Police Det. Sgt. Joshua Powless.

Meanwhile, Port Angeles police records indicate officers made contact with Talbert 288 times since November 2011. Fourteen of those contacts led to arrests, and two were for felonies, Powless said.

But police in Port Angeles did not know he was being investigated in North Carolina until a Concord detective made contact with them on Dec. 19, 2025.

A break in the case came late last year, Concord police stated in a news release last month.

“Through a meticulous reexamination of evidence and the pursuit of previously undeveloped leads, detectives uncovered critical information that ultimately led to Talbert’s arrest,” according to the news release.

The city didn’t specify the connection and said it wouldn’t release additional information because the investigation remains active.

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Editor Brian McLean can be reached by email at brian.mclean@peninsuladailynews.com.