Crime Stoppers calls help lead to arrests
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on January 30, 2006 1:46 PM
Calls to Crime Stoppers helped lead law officers to make arrests in three crimes in Mount Olive -- a bank robbery, a break-in and a drug case.
The agency's law-enforcement coordinator, Goldsboro police Sgt. Dot Ardes, told the Crime Stoppers monthly board of directors meeting that the calls helped officers clear 19 cases and make nine arrests during December. The callers were paid cash rewards for their information.
Two confidential informants helped Mount Olive police and the State Bureau of Investigation identify two alleged robbers of the Peoples National Bank on Dec. 1. One suspect entered the bank at about 3 p.m., displayed a handgun and emptied two cash drawers of an undetermined amount of money and fled.
Raymond Lemuel Cheadle III, 18, of West Oak Street in Goldsboro was arrested Dec. 5 and also was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds and possession of narcotics. Charles Harvey Faison, 33, of Oak Ridge Drive, Dudley, also was arrested Dec. 5.
The robbery was third in four years at the same location. Centura Bank and Triangle Bank had operated branches in the same building and were the earlier holdup victims.
An anonymous tipster informed Mount Olive police that two people had broken into numerous buildings. Maj. Ralph Schroeder and Lt. Tommy Brown investigated and arrested the pair. Anthony F. Price, 16, of McDonald Drive, Mount Olive, and Phillip Armwood, 17, of East Pollock Street, Mount Olive, were charged with felony breaking and entering and felony larceny.
Another anonymous caller's information about drugs on Beems Street led to the arrest of Santos Geovanni Rodriguez, 16, of Beems Street, Mount Olive. He was charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and under-age possession of a firearm. A handgun and $750 worth of cocaine were seized.
Among the fugitives apprehended after confidential tips to Crime Stoppers was Randy Chester Parsons, 43, of Goldsboro. He was wanted by the U.S. Marshal's Service and the Federal Probation Office.
The anonymous calls enabled authorities to recover $787 worth of stolen property and seize $6,910 worth of narcotics during December. During 2005, a total of $21,752 worth of stolen property and $73,871 worth seized.
Since Crime Stoppers was established in 1982, Executive Director Bill Troutman said the confidential tips have enabled officers to clear 7,024 cases with 5,447 arrests, to recover almost $1.8 million in stolen property and seize almost $7.9 million in illegal drugs. The callers have been paid almost $400,000 in cash rewards.
Anyone with information on any crime in Wayne County was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 735-2255. Callers may remain anonymous, and they may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000, if their information leads to an arrest in felony cases.