Three gang members caught in Grantham
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on March 12, 2010 1:46 PM
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Three admitted gang members wanted in Portsmouth, Va., were arrested after a tip that they were staying at a residence outside Goldsboro, a Wayne County Sheriff's Office detective said this morning.
Shamouri Kwame Bibbins, 20, Elijah Majestic Svendsen, 19, and James Martin Harris, 22, all face charges out of Portsmouth, Va.
The three men had been held in Wayne County Jail under $1 million bonds, but as of 9 a.m. today all had been extradited to Virginia, Detective Sgt. Rick Farfour said.
People familiar with the case said that the men are sworn "Bloods" gang members.
Detective Sgt. Rick Farfour said an informant gave authorities information about the whereabouts of the men at a residence off Old Grantham Road.
The tip came in after a number of reported break-ins near the fugitives' residence, although authorities said they have no evidence connecting the men to the burglaries.
In Virginia, Harris faces a charge of recruitment of a juvenile into gang activity, and Svendsen and Bibbins are both wanted on armed robbery and kidnapping-related charges.
Bibbins faces the most serious charges of the three men, including three counts apiece of kidnapping and armed robbery.
When authorities began their attempts to arrest the men, they approached their home off of Old Grantham Road, Farfour said.
Before entering the house, the detective approached Bibbins on the street, and he allegedly provided the detective with a false name.
Bibbins allegedly had a small amount of marijuana on his person, and was arrested and held on that offense.
Authorities began searching for Harris, to no avail, but found Svendsen back at the house off Old Grantham Road on Wednesday, Farfour said.
Harris was later found at a house in Goldsboro after police received information he might be there, authorities said.
All local charges, including the misdemeanor marijuana charge, have been dropped as Virginia authorities proceed with prosecution of the three men, Farfour said.