Authorities apprehend both suspects in manhunt
By John Joyce
Published in News on February 8, 2016 1:46 PM
Both suspects in a residential break-in in the north end of the county Feb. 2 are in custody, but it is unlikely either of the men charged will be made to reimburse the county for the manhunt that ensued to find them, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said.
The total cost has yet to be tabulated.
James Clinton Thompson, 39, 114 Laura Lane, is charged with breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering and possession of stolen goods.
Members of the sheriff's office Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team arrested Thompson after conducting a vehicle stop in the south end of the county late Saturday night.
"Somebody called in a tip that he was in that area," Maj. Tom Effler said.
Deputies spent two full days searching the north end of the county -- in the Nahunta area off Aycock Dairy Farm Road, where the initial break-in took place -- but found neither Thompson nor his alleged accomplice, Christopher Dail Alphin.
Alphin, 37, 227 Charlie Braswell Road, turned himself in to detectives, Thursday, and is charged with two counts each of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering and possession of stolen goods, although some of those charges stem from an unrelated crime.
Effler said throughout his more than 30-year career he had never seen a defendant who was successfully prosecuted made to pay for efforts made to find him.
"We can ask the (district attorney) for it, but I've never seen it before," he said.
Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce said he would ask District Attorney Matt Delbridge to pursue restitution if Thompson and Alphin are convicted.
Delbridge would then have to request that the presiding judge include the restitution as part of the sentence imposed on the suspects.
"We will look at it before it goes to court," Pierce said.
Several man hours and the costs associated with the sheriff's office helicopter, The Raven, have to be calculated before a real figure is assigned to the manhunt.
The Raven flew overhead much of the day and well into the night Feb. 2, and deputies were stationed overnight in the area of Aycock Dairy Farm Road to protect the residents and property.
"We have to go back and look at their logs, see how many flight hours they actually had," Pierce said.
Pierce said that fuel and other costs for the Airwatch team -- including the sheriff's office's two helicopters and pilots -- are generally paid for through drug seizures and forfeitures.
"It's just part of our normal activity that we do," he said.
Thompson is being held in the Wayne County Detention Center under a $24,000 secured bond.