ROCKINGHAM — A local homeless man who is no stranger to law enforcement or the court system is facing new charges.
James Robert Easterling, 42, allegedly refused to leave Black’s Tire and Auto in Richmond Plaza on Tuesday, Aug. 26, after being told to leave by a manager and a detective with the Rockingham Police Department.
Easterling was also in possession of a metal crack pipe, according to the arrest warrant.
Records show Easterling was arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count each of second-degree trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Richmond County Jail on a $1,500 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 4.
Online court records show Easterling was convicted in January of second-degree trespassing, being intoxicated and disruptive, and littering of a beer or wine container.
During the August Rockingham City Council meeting, several local business owners mentioned Easterling specifically in their complaints against the homeless, saying they felt threatened by him.
Easterling has had numerous arrests in Richmond and Mecklenburg counties since 2000, court records show.
According to records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction, Easterling was convicted in 2022 on two counts of felony breaking and entering, and one count each of breaking and entering vehicles and felony larceny in Mecklenburg County.
Other prior convictions include:
2000 - misdemeanor breaking and entering, misdemeanor larceny (probation revoked, served four months)
2011 - communicating threats
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
