Indictments handed down by Grand Jury
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on September 11, 2005 2:04 AM
A 33-year-old man has been indicted by the Wayne County Grand Jury on charges of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree rape.
Roger Lamonte Sutton of Hinnant Road, Pikeville, also was indicted on two counts of first-degree kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill while inflicting serious injury.
Sutton was accused of stabbing two people April 5 in a home on Union Grove Church Road, west of Fremont. He was arrested later the next day in a home near LaGrange.
The victims were taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital, where they were treated and later released. They identified Sutton as their assailant.
After Sutton was released on bond, he was charged June 27 with the rape and fatal stabbing of his 14-year-old stepdaughter, Jonneka Nikki Spencer. Her body was found in woods off Church of God Road. Sutton has not been indicted for those crimes.
Robbery indictments
Two people also have been indicted on armed robbery charges, another was bound over for two burglaries and another was indicted for sex offenses.
Joshua E. Davis, 18, of North Center Street, Mount Olive, was indicted for the armed robbery of a man Dec. 18 in the 1900 block of North William Street. He also was charged with possession of weapon of mass destruction.
Davis was accused of robbing Michael Hyland at gunpoint. When Hyland returned to his truck, he told police that a black man had displayed a handgun and demanded his money. The robber took Hyland's cell phone and his wallet with $50 and personal papers.
The suspect also told Hyland that someone had broken into his truck and had stolen a compact disc player, a speaker and an amplifier. The stolen property was valued at $1,005.
William Andrey Washington, 44, of Wayne Avenue also was indicted on a charge of armed robbery.
Washington was accused of wielding a penknife and stealing $196 from Jasper Earl Herring on Feb. 20.
Burglary indictments
Sarah Elizabeth Reed, 36, of Juniper Lane, Seven Springs, was indicted for the April 29 predawn burglary and theft of a man's wallet from his home on Joda Drive near Seven Springs. The man woke up and saw the woman take $60 from his pants.
When deputies arrived, they discovered the woman had dropped her purse with her driver's license. She was arrested a few days later.
Ms. Reed also was accused of a burglary and theft Nov. 24, 2004. She allegedly took a wallet with $400 from a man's home in the 100 block of Strickland Road.
She was indicted on two charges of first-degree burglary and one charge of larceny and armed robbery.
Rashon Orlando West, 29, of North Center Street was indicted on two counts of first-degree rape and one count of a first-degree sex offense, first-degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
West was accused of taking a woman May 15 to a vacant house in the 100 block of North Slocumb Street and assaulting her, police said.
Other indictments
The grand jury returned 78 true bills during its September meeting, but it could not act on six bills of indictment because witnesses were not present.
Twenty indictments were handed up on such property charges as burglary, breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen goods. The grand jurors returned 18 true bills on drug charges, 13 on weapons violations and 11 on aggravated assault charges.
Five indictments were returned on traffic violations and five for fraud offenses. Three others were indicted on robbery charges.
Two defendants were indicted as habitual felons. If either is convicted of a fourth non-overlapping crime, then his sentenced would be lengthened significantly.
Several defendants were indicted for crimes in more than one category.