County grand jury hands up 31 indictments during session
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on May 5, 2006 1:49 PM
Two people have been indicted on robbery charges by the Wayne County Grand Jury, and another has been indicted on an aggravated assault charge.
The grand jurors handed up only 28 other true bills of indictment, including seven each for drug and property crimes, during an abbreviated monthly session.
Jimmy Arnold Crumpler, 42, of Old Harvey Sutton Road, Mount Olive, was indicted for the Dec. 27 armed robbery of a clerk at the Friendly Mart at 335 U.S. 13 South.
Crumpler was arrested quickly because the clerk and a customer got the license plate number of the getaway car, an older Buick. Deputies obtained a search warrant for the home address of the registered car owner and found Crumpler there.
Property that was taken during the holdup was identified and recovered along with $241 and a ski mask, deputies said.
Clementa Artaveous Battle, 18, of Sherard Court was charged with trying to rob a couple and firing a weapon into their car Jan. 22 after they had given him a ride to the 1100 block of Poplar Street. The couple fled.
Battle was indicted on a charge of attempted armed robbery and three counts of discharge of a weapon into an occupied vehicle. Battle was accompanied by two other people who were not charged, police investigators said.
Christopher Fitzgerald Branch, 42, of South Slocumb Street was indicted on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill while inflicting serious injury and three misdemeanors -- communicating threats and damage to personal property and damage to real property.
Branch was accused of assaulting a woman employee at the Waffle House at 502 N. Berkeley Blvd., kicking her in the jaw, head and abdomen and then cutting her face and stomach with a steak knife. He also was charged with breaking glass containers and a globe. Police were called, and Branch was arrested at the restaurant.
The grand jury also handed up four indictments on weapons charges, three on traffic violations, two on sex offenses and one each on fraud and robbery charges.
Three people were indicted as habitual felons. If any is convicted of a fourth non-overlapping crime, then his sentence would be lengthened significantly.
The grand jury could not act on four bills, because witnesses were not present.