GODWIN — A Clinton man is behind bars under a $3 million bond following a home invasion on Hayes Mill Road, in which four victims were assaulted and robbed at gunpoint, two of them kidnapped and assaulted further before being released.
Jonquil Jalen Carroll, 21, of 127 Nicole Lane, Clinton, has been charged with first-degree burglary, four counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, as well as four counts of kidnapping, larceny of a motor vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was placed in the Sampson County Detention Center under the $3M bond following an investigation by Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities.
That investigation is ongoing and further charges are expected, they said Friday.
According to reports, deputies responded to reports of a home invasion in the early-morning hours Thursday at 3268 Hayes Mill Road. When deputies arrived at the address, two victims stated they and two other friends were inside the residence “when three unknown black males forcibly entered the front door of the residence and held them at gunpoint,” a Sheriff’s Office release stated.
During the incident, the victims — there were four ranging in age from 17-20, according to reports — said they were assaulted and robbed of personal property. Reports listed two cell phones, cash and a gold Chevy Impala taken during the incident. When the suspects left the residence they forced the two victims inside the Impala and fled the scene. The suspects later assaulted the victims further and then freed them, investigators said.
Deputies were able to obtain enough information from the victims to put out an informational bulletin to other law enforcement agencies, including details about the suspect vehicle.
The Mount Olive Police Department subsequently located the suspects driving the stolen vehicle on U.S. Hwy. 117, just north of N.C. Hwy. 55. The suspects were stopped and detained by Mount Olive Police until Sampson County Sheriff’s investigators could arrive.
At that time, Carroll was taken into custody, transported back to Sampson County and placed behind bars. Other charges will be forthcoming, according to sheriff’s authorities. On Friday, Sheriff Jimmy Thornton acknowledged the hard work already done by his officers and others in bringing at least one of the suspects into custody.
“I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in this investigation,” the sheriff said in a prepared statement. “Officers worked over 24 hours without sleep on this investigation. This just shows how committed officers are to their jobs and the citizens they serve daily.”