ROCKINGHAM — A man killed after he “made entry” into a home on Richmond Road late Monday night had pending criminal charges — including attempted murder — in South Carolina.
According to Marlboro County court records, 26-year-old Rico Joke’a Shelton was one of four defendants in a burglary case from last year.
WPDE reported in September that Shelton, Mikala Laris Crowder and Latae Lockhart and Thaao Short were connected to burglaries during Hurricane Florence where shots were fired into a victim’s car.
Shelton, of Rockingham, was charged with two counts of assault/attempted murder, burglary and conspiracy, court records show. The last activity was a bond motion on Nov. 9, 2018 and a true bill of indictment was filed Jan. 22.
Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show Shelton had a criminal history in Richmond County dating back nearly 10 years.
He was first convicted of larceny from person in 2009 and given probation. However, that was revoked the following year when he was convicted of two felony counts of possessing stolen goods and spent seven months behind bars.
He was convicted of two counts of felony breaking and entering in 2011 and was incarcerated for another nine months.
Fifteen months after his release, he was convicted of one felony count each of habitual breaking and entering, breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering and possessing stolen goods.
He was given consecutive sentences and remained behind bars from Nov. 18, 2013 until Oct. 26, 2016 — but was imprisoned again for another 11 months in 2017 on a post-release revocation.
Records show he was released June 18, 2018 — just three months before the alleged crime in Marlboro County.
Shelton was killed after being shot in the head Monday when investigators with the Rockingham Police Department say he “made entry into (a) residence in order to perpetrate a criminal act.”
(There has not yet been any indication from investigators that he used force to enter the home.)
The department hasn’t released any information since late Tuesday morning and the investigation is ongoing.
