ELLERBE — The arrests of two men accused in a break-in over the weekend led to the recovery of several ATVs and other property reportedly stolen in the area.
Deputies with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday responded to a call of a break-in in progress on Bennett Road, with the homeowner reporting he saw two individuals break into his building and run into the woods, according to a press release issued Thursday.
With K-9s on the trail, deputies found 20-year-old Zachery Earl Cribb, of Laurel Hill, and 34-year-old Drayson Dewayne Deese, of McColl, South Carolina.
After interviewing the suspects, investigators say they were able to tie Cribb to several other crimes and recover some of the property.
A four-wheeler and dirt bike were reported stolen from Bennett Road on Oct. 13, but only the four-wheeler has been recovered, investigators say. Another four-wheeler reportedly stolen from Derby Way is also still missing.
A four-wheeler and dirt bike and “a list” of gas-powered tools were reported stolen from Jimmy Carriker Road on Oct. 12. Only the dirt bike has been recovered in that case.
Investigators say a Toyota truck with a rifle, hunting bag and four-wheeler were stolen from U.S. 220 and a handgun was stolen from a pickup truck on Wallace Road on Sunday and all items were recovered.
Another four-wheeler reportedly stolen Aug. 25 from Campbell Road in Hamlet has yet to be recovered, according to investigators.
Anyone with information on the still-missing items are encouraged to call the sheriff’s office at 910-997-8283 or Richmond County Crime Stoppers at 910-997-5454.
Cribb is charged with: six counts each of breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering; five counts of felony larceny; three counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle; and two counts each of larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny of a firearm.
He was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $150,000 secured bond.
Deese is charged with one count each of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, felony larceny and possession of stolen goods. He was booked under a $60,000 secured bond.
They are both scheduled to appear in court Nov. 5.
Online court records show Cribb is also facing: misdemeanor charges of carrying a concealed gun and possession of up to a half-ounce of marijuana in Richmond County; breaking and entering a trailer or aircraft in Robeson County; and several traffic violations in Scotland County.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show Deese, with a first name also listed as “Kevin”, was previously convicted in Scotland County of wanton injury to personal property and misdemeanor larceny in 2008; and misdemeanor charges of larceny, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting an officer in 2002.
Cribb has no prior convictions in the state.
