These Thugs Were in the Home Invasion Business, Until They Met Grandpa
NCthugs
NCHomeInvasionLumberton, North Carolina, is a quiet town situated on the Lumber River in the Inner Banks area of the state. Its roots go back to the American Revolution, and it is best known as a pretty place to stop halfway on the trip from New York to Florida. Recently, however, it has experienced a wave of terrifying home invasions. That’s over now, thanks to the bravery of Kenneth Byrd, a 67-year-old grandfather.
Last Monday, around 10 p.m., a man knocked on the door of the Byrd home and said his car had broken down. Then two armed thugs stormed in behind him, dressed in black wearing ski masks and brandishing guns. They forced Byrd, his wife, Judy, and his 19-year-old granddaughter into a back room, and made him open his safe.
Then they went too far. They attempted to gang-rape the granddaughter. Byrd grabbed a gun hidden inside his safe and fired at the intruders. They shot back, ran outside and escaped in the family’s gold Cadillac. Byrd was hit several times and later airlifted to a nearby hospital.
A relative of Mr. Byrd, Sherri Bridgeman, wrote on her Facebook page:
He is out of surgery but is still critical in ICU!! Thanks everyone for all your prayers just keep them coming!!! But the intruders have been caught!!!
Officers soon found the stolen car, abandoned. One of the burglars, 20-year-old Jamie Lee Faison, was in the car, shot dead. Police were called when the two other men, 28-year-old Brandon Carver of Fairmont, and 17-year-old Jamar Hawkins of Lumberton, sought treatment for their wounds at McLeod Medical Center. They were airlifted to another hospital for emergency surgery.
The incident shocked neighbors of the Byrds. One woman who has lived near them for 20 years said, “They’re real friendly, help you anyway they can, do anything for you.” She said the situation could have only gotten worse, if Byrd hadn’t been armed. “It could have been uglier.”
After their release from the hospital, Carver and Hawkins were taken to the Florence County Detention Center, said Major Anthony Thompson of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. On Thursday night, Robeson County deputies transported the two to Robeson County, where they were booked.
When they made their first court appearance on Friday, Stephens and Hawkins were each charged with first-degree burglary, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession of a firearm by a felon, first-degree sexual offense, kidnapping, and two counts each of robbery with a firearm and felony conspiracy. Bond for each of the men was set at $1 million secured.
Stephens, Hawkins, and Faison have been identified as persons of interest in other home invasions, according to a law enforcement press release.
Poster Comment:
Needless to say, these idiots will be sitting the klink for a very long time. ;)