HAMLET - “When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.”

HAMLET - Between the hours of 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 23rd and 1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 25th, the Hamlet Police Department located, confronted, and arrested three persons wanted for various charges.

On Saturday, June 23rd at approximately 6:00 p.m., Darren Lamont Little, 25, of 320 Spring Street in Hamlet was observed leaving a convenience store by an officer who recognized him to be wanted for larceny.  Little was consequently arrested and processed through the magistrate’s office where he signed a written promise to appear in Richmond County District Court on Thursday, July 26th.

ROCKINGHAM - Sheriff James Clemmons reports the arrest of Terry Levon Watkins, 39, of Crescent Drive in Rockingham for a total of seven charges.  

On Monday, June 25th, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident on Pauline Drive in Rockingham.  The caller reported that an elderly woman had been assaulted and robbed.

HAMLET - The Hamlet Police Department is actively coordinating with the North Carolina Division of Community Corrections, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department, the Rockingham Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with “Operation Thunderstruck,” a vigilant and aggressive focus upon finding and apprehending drug offenders.

As part of this operation, Craig Henderson, 21, of 321 Oak Street in Hamlet was arrested on Tuesday, June 19th and charged with simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance (misdemeanor); possession of marijuana up to ½ ounce (misdemeanor); possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and/or deliver a Schedule IV controlled substance (felony); maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of manufacturing, selling, and/or delivering a controlled substance (felony); and felonious possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance (felony).

This case was a prime example of how well our local law enforcement agencies coordinate and cooperate in the pursuit of justice.  This arrest in particular was a direct function of the due diligence of the probation officer under whom Henderson had been placed for correctional supervision, as well as the active support of the HPD in providing back-up assistance for the search of the residence and surrounding area.

Henderson was processed into the Richmond County Detention Center under a secured bond of $25,000 pending his first appearance in Richmond County District Court on Thursday, June 28th.

ROCKINGHAM - A rather unusual “find” was discovered by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, June 14th. 

A U-Haul van had been reported as being stolen out of the state of Arizona. 

Deputies located the van in the possession of Rohan Bennett, 51, of Airport Road, Rockingham. 

Bennett was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. 

Bennett was processed into the Richmond County Detention Center under a secured bond of $7500. 

Yet another drug-related arrest was conducted on Friday, June 15th.

Deputies arrested Robert Yancy Ludlum, 22, of Mill Street, Rockingham. 

Ludlum was charged with sell of a Schedule II controlled substance; delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance; possession with intent to sell and deliver a Schedule II controlled substance; and resisting a public officer. 

Ludlum was placed in the Richmond County Detention Center under a secured bond of $25,000. 

Defendants are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

ROCKINGHAM – Sheriff James E. Clemmons has his deputies focused on the enforcement of drug laws in Richmond County. 

Three Winston-Salem individuals were arrested on Friday, June 8th, after a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of over 200 grams of a substance suspected to be marijuana.

ROCKINGHAM - The Richmond County Detention Center reports the death of an inmate. 

RCDC issued a call for medical emergency assistance on Thursday, June 14th. 

Deputies responded and found inmate Adrian Lamar Campbell, 30, complaining of chest pains.

HAMLET - Two individuals were arrested in two separate cases by the Hamlet Police Department for various charges last week.  Each of the arrests was subsequent to reports of persons openly smoking marijuana in public. 

Drew Westley Long, 32, of 227 Terry Bridge Road in Rockingham was detected smoking a substance believed to be marijuana at the Starflight Convenience Store in Hamlet on Sunday, June 10th, at approximately 3:34 p.m.

HAMLET - June 17th is the third Sunday of the month and thus designated as Father’s Day in the United States. 

A celebration honoring fathers, fatherhood, and paternal bonds has existed since the Middle Ages but was not officially celebrated in the U.S. until the 20th century, and was not designated as an official holiday in this country until 1972.

HAMLET - The Hamlet Police Department is actively searching for Thomas Terry III subsequent to the serious wounding of an individual on Saturday, June 2nd.  At approximately 6:00 p.m. on that date, HPD responded to a “shots fired” call on Washington Avenue.  Upon arrival, officers found a black male victim being assisted into a vehicle for transportation to the hospital.  The victim had multiple gunshot wounds and was subsequently transferred to another undisclosed medical facility in “serious” condition.