Copper thief caught as he returns to scene
By John Joyce
Published in News on May 27, 2015 1:46 PM
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Mourice Nathaniel Wilder
An alleged copper thief returned to the same South George Street warehouse one too many times this month, a Goldsboro Police Department press release said.
Mourice Nathaniel Wilder, 25, 1507 Catalpa St., now faces seven criminal charges including breaking and entering and larceny.
Goldsboro police officers responded to a break-in at 927 S. George St. May 22 and found more than $19,000 in copper wiring, piping and plumbing had been stripped from the building. In addition to the stolen property, $20,000 in damage was reported.
Patrol officers keeping an eye on the building -- owned by Habitat for Humanity -- discovered a second break-in at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
"This was good work on the patrol's part," Maj. Anthony Carmon said.
Carmon, head of the Criminal Investigation Division, said his investigators anticipated the suspect would return to the scene and requested that patrol step up area checks on the building.
The collaborative effort paid off.
"We told them the building had been broken into and to keep an eye on it. They did. It was good work by the officer," Carmon said.
Officer Anthony Tilghman noticed the break-in and called for backup.
"They surrounded the building and found (Wilder) inside," Carmon said.
Wilder, charged in both break-ins, faces two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of injury to real property and a single count each of larceny, attempted larceny after breaking and entering and resisting an officer.
He was placed in the Wayne County Detention Center under a $14,000 secured bond and is expected to appear in Wayne County District Court later today.