Man stabbed, then thrown off local bridge
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on February 8, 2006 1:54 PM
A man was stabbed early Tuesday, thrown into the Little River and left to die, but he was retrieved from the water and hospitalized in critical condition, officials said today.
Two men were arrested Tuesday by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and charged with attempted murder and kidnapping.
The victim, Shawn Foreman, 23, of Pony Drive, Pikeville, was pulled from the river by Maj. Billy Anderson, Detective Sgt. Ray Brogden and Nahunta volunteer firefighter Curtis Stafford.
"He is still alive because of their quick response," said Capt. George Raecher, chief investigator in the Sheriff's Office.
Foreman was rushed by a Wayne County ambulance to Wayne Memorial Hospital, stabilized and then transferred to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill because of his injuries.
Tommy Hase Johnston, 30, of Seneca Court, LaGrange, and Larry Stevenson Brown Jr., 31, of Stevens Mill Road were charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
Johnston also was charged with driving while his license was revoked. He was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of two secured bonds totaling $500,500. Brown was jailed in lieu of a $500,000 secured bond.
The three men knew each other, detectives said.
Sheriff's deputies were notified after someone had called 911 and reported that a man had been stabbed and dumped in the river.
Deputies responded to Holland Hills Drive and stopped a vehicle with two men inside.
One person inside, Brown, had been stabbed. He was treated in the Wayne Memorial Hospital emergency room and released, detectives said.
Raecher said a preliminary investigation by Detective Sgts. Dean Roscoe and Shawn Harris had determined that Brown and Foreman fought earlier and a third man, Johnston, had been involved. Raecher said Brown and Johnston allegedly had beaten Foreman, put the victim in the car trunk and drove him down Capps Bridge Road to the river.
Deputies and detectives continued their investigation by interviewing several people. Brown told Roscoe that Foreman had been dropped off at the bridge.
Based on that information, other officers responded to the bridge. Brogden found Foreman clinging to a tree branch in the water.
"Again our officers exchanged a lot of information," Sheriff Carey Winders said, "in a minimal amount of time, which resulted in saving the life of Shawn Foreman."
Detective Sgts. Robert Chunn and Mike Reid, Detective Bob Golimowski, patrol Sgt. Jeff Williams and Deputies Matt Sasser and Michael Biggins assisted in the investigation.