ROCKINGHAM — A routine traffic stop led to one driver being arrested on charges from another state and another busted for booze and weed.
The N.C. State Highway Patrol pulled over a white Jeep driven by Randy James Brigman near the intersection of Entwistle 3rd Street and Aleo 7th Avenue in East Rockingham Tuesday afternoon.
The reason for the initial traffic stop is unknown.
Brigman was arrested on an outstanding misdemeanor larceny warrant out of Marlboro County, South Carolina, for allegedly stealing from Walmart, according to Chief Deputy Mark Gulledge of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Gulledge said officers in South Carolina refused to extradite Brigman.
Jail records show Brigman is also charged with failure to appear in court.
Deputies also charged Edward Jones, who was driving a Ford F-150, with disorderly conduct, possession of up to a half-ounce of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol.
Jones was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $500 secured bond.
His pickup truck was hauled away from the scene, but the Jeep remained after all officers had left.
Brigman has a string of convictions dating back to 1986, when he was found guilty of felony larceny and was incarcerated for 22 months, according to records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction.
In 1988, Brigman was convicted of discharging a firearm into an occupied property, for which he served nearly eight months.
The following year, he was convicted on two misdemeanors: possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance and injury to real property.
Also in 1989, he was convicted of felony larceny, assault on a female, assault on a police officer and assault inflicting serious injury.
While serving time for those crimes, Brigman was convicted in 1990 of second-degree murder and served nearly eight years behind bars.
He was released in 1998 and wasn’t convicted again until 2007 for selling a Schedule II controlled substance, landing him in prison for another 22 months.
In 2014, Brigman was convicted on a felony count of having an open container of alcohol and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Other recent convictions include: assault on a female (2016); misdemeanor larceny (2018); and attempted assault by strangulation in Richmond County and misdemeanor larceny in Anson County (2019).
Jones was previously convicted nearly 30 years ago for possession with intent to sell a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, records show. His probation was revoked and he spent 20 months behind bars.
He was again convicted in 1993 for selling a Schedule II controlled substance, which landed him back in prison for nearly three years.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
