Drake
Three men — two from Sampson and one from Wayne — are facing a laundry list of charges this week in connection with a string of vehicle thefts spanning several eastern North Carolina counties.
According to Sampson Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith, Robert Ivon Drake, 31, of Clinton, Joshua Isaiah Hobbs, 24, of Pikeville, and Tyvon Malik Thompson, 21, of Turkey, have been arrested over the course of the last two weeks and charged with a plethora of felonies related to those thefts.
On Nov. 27, Sampson investigators arrested Thompson, serving him warrants charging him with seven counts felony larceny of a motor vehicle (Pitt County), one count felony conspiracy (Pitt), one count felony breaking and entering (Pitt), one count felony larceny after breaking and entering (Pitt), one count felony safecracking (Pitt), one county felony possession of a stolen vehicle (Pitt), one county felony breaking and entering (Wake) and one count felony larceny after breaking and entering (Wake).
He was being held in the Sampson County Detention Center under a $20,000 secured bond.
On Nov. 15, Hobbs was taken into custody and the following charges were leveled against him: one count misdemeanor simple possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance (Sampson), one count misdemeanor possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Sampson), one count misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia (Sampson), one count felony probation violation (Wayne), seven counts felony larceny of a motor vehicle (Pitt), one count felony conspiracy, one count felony breaking and entering (Pitt), one count felony larceny after breaking and entering (Pitt), one count felony safecracking (Pitt), one county felony possession of a stolen vehicle (Pitt), one county felony breaking and entering.
Hobbs is being held in the Sampson Detention Center under a $126,000 secured bond.
And, one day earlier, on Nov. 14, Drake was taken into custody and charged with the following offenses: seven counts felony larceny of a motor vehicle (Pitt), one count felony conspiracy (Pitt), one count felony breaking and entering (Pitt), one count felony larceny after breaking and entering (Pitt), one count felony safecracking (Pitt), one county felony possession of a stolen vehicle (Pitt) and one count felony possession of a motor vehicle (Sampson). He is in the Sampson Detention center under a $100,000 bond.
“Investigators have worked tirelessly with other agencies across North Carolina to locate and apprehend suspects related to these thefts,” said Sampson Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith.
The investigation, he pointed out, is on-going, and more arrests are possible.
The latest three arrests come on the heels of investigators taking 27-year-old Ellis Jachin Wilson, 27, of Jolivet Lane, Faison, into custody in early November. He was the first to be charged, on Nov. 8, in relation to the vehicle theft ring.
Officers arrested Wilson at a home on Jackson Lane, Turkey, after discovering a stolen vehicle at that residence.
Reports show that Wilson, who was inside the residence at the time, was believed to be armed. The Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT) was dispatched to execute the warrant.
A search of the residence uncovered multiple stolen items from several counties, including Sampson. Among the the property discovered was two vehicles from car dealerships in Raleigh and Pitt County. An additional vehicle, stolen from Pitt County, was also recovered in Newton Grove the following morning.
The seven-month investigation into Wilson involved 20 separate auto thefts and larcenies across eight counties, which led officers to the location on Jackson Lane, reports show.
Wilson was served with over 30 warrants for arrest and is being held on a $187,700.00 bond at the Sampson County Detention Center.
Wilson was charged with the following offenses in Sampson County — one count misdemeanor failure to comply with monies owed, two counts felony breaking and entering, two counts felony larceny after breaking and entering, three counts felony possession of stolen goods, three counts misdemeanor possession of stolen goods , one count felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, one count felony larceny of a motor vehicle, one count of felony larceny, three counts felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two counts felony possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
In early November, Smith said officers had been actively investigating multiple cases related to Wilson, and had been partnering with state and county law enforcement agencies on the cases.
“Investigators have devoted a lot of time to tracking these events and tying them back to Ellis. This arrest will begin to bring closure to a lot of thefts across Sampson County and other jurisdictions. Investigators should be commended for their hard work in this very complex case and we are thankful for all other jurisdictions who have assisted as well,” Smith said in November.
Anyone with information about auto thefts in the area, are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 910-592-4141.