ROCKINGHAM — A man is facing charges after allegedly breaking into the East Rockingham Senior Center.
According to Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, 58-year-old Elmer Ray Jones, of Rockingham, broke into the senior center some time from April 19-22 and removed “a number of items.”
Investigators say most of those items have been recovered and returned to the owner.
He was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, and larceny after breaking and entering.
Jones was initially released on a $5,000 unsecured bond, according to the sheriff’s office.
However, Richmond County Jail records show Jones was arrested May 3 and charged with: breaking or entering a motor vehicle; felony larceny; possession of stolen goods or property; obtaining property by false pretenses; second-degree trespassing; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jones is being held on a combined $11,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court May 9, 20 and 23. He also has another pending misdemeanor larceny charge with a June 7 court date.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Jones was first convicted in 1992 of second-degree burglary and larceny in Cumberland County.
In 1997, Jones was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in Alleghany County and in 1998 of a violation for having a controlled substance at a penal institution in Anson County.
He also has subsequent convictions in Cumberland County.
Jones was convicted in 2001 on three counts of felony breaking and entering, and one count each of felony larceny, larceny after breaking and entering and being a habitual felon in Cumberland County. He was released from prison in 2009.
In 2012, he was convicted of misdemeanor larceny and given probation, which was revoked later that year, leading to a three-month incarceration
Jones was convicted again in 2015 of felony breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering. He served two consecutive sentences totalling 13 months, but was back in prison less than a year after getting out on a post-release revocation.
His most recent conviction was in 2017 for: two counts each of breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering; and one count each of obtaining property by false pretenses and being a habitual felon.
Jones was in prison until June 2021, but sent back on a post-release revocation two months later.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
