Public records
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on March 23, 2006 1:45 PM
Customers foil
robbery at store
EUREKA -- Two customers fought with three men who tried to rob a convenience store Wednesday night in Eureka, according to a Wayne County Sheriff's Office report.
Gunshots were fired during the struggle, but no one was injured, and the robbers fled without getting any cash, the report said.
Larry Artis, the owner of Taylor C-Mart at 110 W. Main St., told deputies that he had gone outside at about 7:20 p.m. for a moment and heard a struggle in the store. He said he saw three black men run outside toward a field.
The customers said the suspects entered the store and demanded money from the register, according to reports. Both customers told the suspects that they did not work there and were shopping.
One witness then fought with a suspect, grabbing the gun barrel, and a shot was discharged, damaging the cash register and a counter. The suspects then tried to open the register, but could not and fled on foot. The robbers were described as black men who wore bandannas.
Patrol and detective sergeants arrived and interviewed the witnesses.
Damages were estimated at about $700.
Sheriff Carey Winders said today that similar robberies have occurred in neighboring counties. He urged storekeepers and customers to be careful when dealing with suspects with weapons.
Murder charges
A 24-year-old Goldsboro man was arrested Wednesday night by Goldsboro police on a murder warrant from Maryland.
Dominic Angelo Thomas of Spruce Street was stopped by Officer Thomas Collins on an outstanding arrest order for minor vehicle violations. When Collins checked Thomas' name in a computer, he found the murder charges.
Thomas was wanted by authorities in Prince George County on two counts of first-degree murder. He was placed in the Wayne County Jail without bond. Prince George County police and the U.S. Marshal's Service arrived to assist in the case.
House fire
A vacant house at 728 Isler St. was damaged today in a fire that was referred to Goldsboro police for a further investigation.
Authorities said the fire started in the kitchen in the white, one-floor cinderblock house. Damage was estimated at $10,000 to the home that was valued at $45,000 and owned by Stephanie Williams. The contents, valued at $300, were not damaged.
Drug charges
Four people were arrested Wednesday by the Goldsboro-Wayne County Drug Squad and charged with drug violations at an apartment in the 900 block of Hugh Street.
*The resident, Lorena Villalobos, 20, was charged with two misdemeanors, possession of marijuana and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of keeping or selling marijuana. She was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of a $2,000 secured bond.
*Quinton Devon Barnes, 24, of Wilson was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was jailed in lieu of a $10,000 secured bond.
*Kenneth Ray Finch, 19, of Wilson was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was jailed in lieu of a $5,000 secured bond.
*Wakeelah Shanise Sherrod, 22, of Wilson was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Her secured bond was set at $2,000.
Pair charged
A Wayne County couple was arrested Wednesday by Goldsboro police and charged with seven felony offenses in connection with residential break-ins in the 1300 block of Maple Street and the 500 block of New Hope Road.
Darrius Jhamaar Benton, 20, of Carver Drive and Danielle Renee Lewis, 19, of Ward Street, Dudley, were charged with two counts of breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen goods, and one count of possession of burglary tools.
Benton was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 secured bond. Ms. Lewis, who also was charged with hit and run, was jailed in lieu of a $30,000 secured bond.
Investigations
Wayne County law-enforcement officers are investigating these reports:
*A .380 caliber handgun, a DVD player and video-game equipment were stolen from a home in the 100 block of Woods Drive Jack Earl Thomas put a $1,950 value on the property.
*A refrigerator was stolen between from a vacant house in the 1200 block of North John Street. Sheila Smith estimated the refrigerator's value at $500 and damage at $250.
Second arrest
in robbery, kidnap
A second man has been arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in connection to a Jan. 30 robbery, in which a woman was kidnapped from her home on Emmaus Church Road near Dudley.
Richard Camden, 43, had eluded authorities for almost two months. He was arrested Tuesday by deputies and charged with common-law robbery, a holdup without the use of a weapon, and second-degree kidnapping. He was placed in the Wayne County Jail under $40,000 bond.
The victim said she had been held down, restrained and robbed of $80 by two men.
Timothy Wayne Adams, 45, of Old Smith Chapel Road, Mount Olive, was arrested about an hour after the holdup. At the time,lawmen knew only that he was wanted for failure to appear in court. He drove away from a traffic stop was only captured after a long chase. Adams was charged with multiple traffic offenses and jailed. He was charged a day later with common-law robbery and kidnapping and his bond was increased to $75,000.
Accident
Damages were estimated at $7,500 in a two-car collision Monday at Genoa Road and Woods Drive, the Highway Patrol said. Roger Craig Daniels, 18, of Outlaw Road, Dudley, was charged with failure to reduce speed .