HAMLET — Police say a man escaped custody after being arrested for having a stolen vehicle.
According to warrants, officers with the Hamlet Police Department on Wednesday stopped a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu, driven by 29-year-old Demarcus Jerad Campell, on Circlewood Drive.
The car was reportedly stolen from Ellerbe on Feb. 16.
A warrant states that Campbell was placed in handcuffs and secured in the back of a patrol car. However, he then reportedly climbed through the partition window and escaped from the front driver-side door of the patrol car.
Campbell was reportedly caught around 10:30 a.m on Carl Martin Avenue.
Warrants allege Campbell was also in possession of a .40-caliber Glock 22.
Campbell was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. The Hamlet Police Department charged him with: possession of a stolen motor vehicle; possession of a firearm by a felon; and resisting a public officer.
He is being held on a combined $25,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court March 6.
Court records show an order for Campbell’s arrest was issued Tuesday for failing to appear in court on charges of misdemeanor larceny and second-degree trespassing from a case in January when he allegedly stole meat products from Food King in Ellerbe.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Campbell is currently on probation, having received an 18-month suspended sentence Aug. 5, 2024 when he was convicted of misdemeanor larceny in Moore County.
Campbell was first convicted in 2015 on felony charges of breaking and entering vehicles and larceny of firearms in Moore County. His probation was revoked and he served three months behind bars.
In 2016, Campbell was convicted in Montgomery County on two counts of felony breaking and entering, and one count each of felony larceny, breaking or entering vehicles and receiving or possessing a firearm. His probation on the latter charge was revoked and he was incarcerated for another three months.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
