JAMICĂ C. ASHLEY
From Staff Reports
TARBORO —
A weapons violation charge has Christopher Marcellus Hopkins behind bars.
Hopkins, 16, of 3533 Burnette Farm Road has been charged with possession of a stolen weapon and possession of a firearm by a minor and is being held in the Edgecombe County Detention Center under a $1,000 unsecured bond.
Lt. Keith Hale of the Tarboro Police Department said that Sgt. Bill Braswell was patrolling Pender Square Apartments a little after midnight Saturday when he saw what appeared to be a group of guys about to fight.
Braswell, exited his car and as he approached saw Hopkins try to walk away.
"One of the suspects placed something in his pants and tried to walk away as he (Braswell) spoke to him," said Hale.
Braswell ordered the men to the ground. They all complied.
Hopkins was discovered to have a 22 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his possession.
The serial number of the gun was ran and the gun had been reported stolen from Pitt County.
Two charged in Pender Square robbery
A robbery in Pender Square Apartments has left two people in custody and local authorities advising people to secure their belongings.
Cecil Braddy, 24, and Marshall Stiles, 20, are being held in the Edgecombe County Detention Center on larceny and possession of stolen property charges.
Braddy and Stiles went into an unsecured apartment in Pender Square and took a large, flat screen television, some video game equipment and some jewelry before leaving the scene.
Tarboro Police were able to identify the suspects and find them at the home of Heather Blanchard.
With a search warrant, the TPD was able to search Blanchard's home and find Stiles and Braddy inside along with all of the stolen property.
Blanchard was then charged with resisting and obstructing for lying to police about anyone else being in her home.
Stiles is also facing several outstanding warrants from the county.
Wal-Mart purse snatching suspect held at Pitt
An area purse snatcher is being held in Pitt County.
Jonathan Williams, of Greenville, is being held in Pitt County in connection to a purse snatching at the Wal-Mart in Tarboro.
Lt. Keith Hale of the Tarboro Police Department reported that Williams snatched the purse of a local woman as she entered Wal-Mart.
Hale said that as the woman approached the Wal-Mart, with her purse on her right shoulder, Williams drove up behind her in a white Isuzu Rodeo, reached out of the driver's window and took her purse before driving off.
"Similar crimes have also been reported in New Bern and Kinston," added Hale.
Through further investigation, Sgt. Al Braxton discovered that Williams has also tired this tactic at an EconoLodge hotel in Greenville.
Williams has yet to be formally charged with his crimes in Tarboro, Hale said, but they are in the works.
