How do I get a copy of the criminal complaint against me?

Don't worry; you'll get it. Depending on the jurisdiction it will be given you either by the judge the DA or the PD at your arraignment but not before.

For felonies, most people are arrested in North Carolina using the Warrant for Arrest form, which has one's personal information on the upper left side with the name of the offense, the police officer's information in the left middle section, and the victim's information on the lower left side. The middle and right side of the page then contains the specific offense(s) that the individual is charged with, spelled out with a reasonable degree of specificity (date, time, amount of drugs, victims' names, description of act(s), amount of loss, etc.). Along the bottom of the page is where the judiial offical who issues the warrant signs to memorialize that event. This page, then, acts as the criminal complaint as well as the authorization to take the person into custody on the charge. When a person is arrested on the felony, they are to be given a copy of the Warrant form with the specifics of the charges listed thereon. There is not a separate "criminal complaint" in most such cases. An exception would be when a person is charged by Grand Jury Indictment, wherein the actual indictment document will be the equivalent of a "criminal complaint." A person is generally served with the indictment at the time of arrest, if the arrest is based upon a grand jury indictment. If what you are looking for are the specific statements made by victim(s) and/or witnesses, the observations of officers, etc., then you need to see the discovery in the case. Discovery is very restricted in district court criminal cases, subject to an assistant district attorney wanting to share whatever discovery is in their possession. Once a case gets to superior court, a defendant's right to discovery increases dramatically and you would normally receive the information discussed above--you are supposed to receive a copy of the law enforcement file.

You have a right to be advised re the charges being brought against you. In some cases, you may make a motion to set aside those charges where there is a defect on the face of the complaint. You should probably be able to contact either the court or the prosecutor to obtain a copy. If they will not provide a copy of the complaint, you should retain an attorney.