ROCKINGHAM — Two men are facing charges, accused of plotting to steal a car.
According to warrants, 19-year-old Gene Lewis Knight Jr. conspired with 36-year-old James Dwight Russell III to steal a car from a residence on 3rd Avenue Pee Dee in northwest Rockingham.
The warrant for Knight, taken out by the Rockingham Police Department, lists the car as 1993 Chevrolet Caprice, while a warrant for Russell, from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, lists it as a ‘95 model.
Knight is also accused of breaking into a building and stealing a television, fishing rod and a gas can.
Records show Knight was arrested July 9 — the same day as the reported incident — and charged with breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, larceny of a motor vehicle, and felony conspiracy.
The conspiracy charge is from the sheriff’s office, while the others are from RPD.
Knight is being held in the Richmond County Jail on a combined $6,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court July 24.
According to court records, Knight was served a criminal summons — originally issued March 18 and re-issued April 9 and July 9 — charging him with simple assault.
Jail records had shown Russell was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two counts of breaking and entering, however the latter two charges — nor one for conspiracy — were not reflected in court records at the time of writing.
He was booked into the Richmond County Jail on a $1,000 secured bond on the possession charge. Russell did not appear in online jail records at 2 p.m.
(NOTE: Since Russell appears to have been released, his mugshot was not avaialable.)
Russell had been scheduled to appear in court July 10 on a charge of possession of stolen goods or property after police reportedly found a camper stolen from a Hamlet storage facility in his yard last month.
Records show Russell also has pending charges of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as multiple pending traffic citations.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Russell was first convicted of misdemeanor larceny in 2011.
In 2017, Russell was convicted in Stanly County of assault with a deadly weapon.
He was also convicted in 2021 of felony breaking and entering and possessing stolen goods. His probation in that case was revoked the following year and Russell was incarcerated for three months.
Knight has no prior convictions in the state.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
