On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:19 p.m., Deputies responded to Dollar General at 2995 S. NC 87, Graham, N.C. in reference to counterfeit money. Earlier in the evening, a female used two $100 bills for her purchase. The bills were found to be counterfeit.
During the investigation, Deputies reviewed camera footage and observed a suspect using two $100 bills for the purchase of gift cards. The suspect was identified as Jacqueline Aaron Tart.
Deputies presented evidence to a Magistrate and obtained warrants for Ms. Tart on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
Numerous attempts to locate and arrest Ms. Tart were unsuccessful as it was later learned she was being aided and harbored to avoid arrest by a male subject at the same address.
On Sunday, June 18, 2023, Ms. Tart was arrested and transported to the Alamance County Detention Center. Three days later, on June 21, 2022, Brian Scott Copeland, of the same address, was arrested for aiding and harboring Ms. Tart knowing she was wanted.
Name: Jacqueline Aaron Tart W/F/24 170 Graves Rd., Graham, N.C.
On Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 9:30 a.m., Deputies responded to 1404 Terrywood Rd. near Haw River, N.C., in reference to a wanted subject by the Graham Police Department. The subject was identified as Jarrett Lee Somers by the Graham Police Department and wanted for multiple larcenies and breaking and entering.
Once on scene, Deputies observed Mr. Somers pull from the residence and attempt to flee. Deputies pursued Mr. Somers until entering Mebane where the pursuit was cancelled due the careless and reckless manner in which Mr. Somers was driving.
After entering Orange County, Orange County Deputies began to pursue Mr. Somers and stopped him and placed him under arrest. Mr. Somers was transported to the Alamance County Detention Center.
Name: Jarrett Lee Somers W/M/45 1404 Terrywood Rd. Lot 206, Haw River, N.C. 27258
Charge: 1ct: Felony Flee to Elude Arrest (Alamance County)
Mr. Somers faces 4cts: Felony Larceny 2cts Felony B&E
More charges are pending from Orange County Deputies & NCSHP
On Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at approximately 4:00 p.m., Alamance County Communications began receiving calls from a 911 only phone that shots had been fired on a school bus in southern Alamance County.
Sheriff’s Deputies stopped buses for the purpose of well-being checks. Everyone on the buses was found to be safe. ABSS personnel also contacted bus drivers to verify that everything was ok.
The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office believes these were hoax calls.
On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 8:32 p.m., Alamance County Communications received a ‘Text to 911.’ The 911 operator replied by asking the location of the emergency.
The 911 operator noticed the calling number was the same number from the January 4, 2023 incident of someone shooting on a school bus. After verifying the caller’s location, Deputies were sent to verify that there was no emergency at the residence.
Deputies spoke with a juvenile at the residence who admitted to texting 911 earlier. Deputies returned to the residence on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 to speak with the juvenile again about January 4, 2023 incident. The juvenile admitted to making the calls to 911, while riding the bus, claiming there was a shooter on the bus.
After consulting with the Alamance County District Attorney’s Office, the decision was made to file criminal charges on a Juvenile Petition for “Making a False Report Concerning Mass Violence on Educational Property.”
The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office ask that parents, grandparents, and/or guardians become aware of your child’s activities regarding cellphones and social media activities. We ask that you re-enforce with your child, the dangers and consequences of this type of activity.
Name: Juvenile (Alamance County)
Charge: Making a False Report Concerning Mass Violence on Educational Property
On Tuesday, May 27, 2023, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office received a report of larceny of a brown and white Pitbull and a motor vehicle. The larcenies occurred in the 900 block of W. Holt St., Mebane, N.C.
During the investigation, Detectives learned that the stolen vehicle had been sold to a metal recycling center in Greensboro, N.C. Using information provided by the recycling center, the suspect was identified as Dwayne Lemonte Bracey.
Mr. Bracey was interviewed by Detectives on June 1, 2023. Later the same day, charges were taken out on Mr. Bracey. During the interview, Mr. Bracey offered no information as to the whereabouts of the Dog.
Mr. Bracey was arrested on June 2, 2023, and transported to the Alamance County Detention Center.
On May 16, 2023, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation of a residential break-in reported to have occurred in the 3300 block of Altamahaw Church St., Elon, N.C. On May 17, 2023, Deputies received a report of a residential break-in which occurred in the 3400 block of Altamahaw- Union Ridge Rd., Burlington, N.C. During the investigation, witnesses described the same two individuals who were seen in the area at the time of both break-ins.
Detectives used this information and evidence to develop a suspect who is familiar to Deputies, lives in the area, and has a history of similar crimes. On June 5, 2023 Detectives identified one of the suspects as Sebastian Joshua Martin Kinley.
Mr. Kinley was arrested and transported to the Alamance County Detention Center.
The investigation is ongoing with another arrest expected soon.
Name: Sebastian Joshua Martin Kinley W/M/19 3602 Cherokee Dr., Elon, N.C.
The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association hosted sheriffs and sheriffs’ personnel from across the state for their annual Legislative Day event on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Legislative Day is an opportunity for sheriffs in North Carolina to travel to the General Assembly to meet their legislators one-on-one and discuss public safety issues related to their counties and the Office of Sheriff. A large number of sheriffs and command staff attended and discussed issues such as increasing punishments for crimes related to fentanyl, protecting the power grid from attack and enhancing recruitment and retention efforts in the law enforcement profession.
After meeting to discuss legislation at the Association headquarters in downtown Raleigh, the sheriffs in attendance made their way to the General Assembly for scheduled meetings with legislators.
“Legislative Day is an important opportunity for North Carolina sheriffs to meet with their legislators and discuss the law enforcement issues which are most important to them and their citizens.” said Sheriff Charles Blackwood, President of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association. “We are proud to host this annual event and facilitate communication between the sheriffs and their legislators.”
Sheriff Johnson noted, “As elected officials ourselves, we know how important it is to listen to the citizens who elected us. As sheriffs, we hope our participation in the Association’s Legislative Day will encourage legislators to keep the Office of Sheriff, public safety issues, and the law enforcement profession at the forefront of their agenda as we move through the remainder of this legislative session.”
Altamahaw-Ossippee Elementary School 5th grade teacher Erika Kennedy has been named the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Educator of the Year. In a surprise ceremony Tuesday morning May 30th, A-O principal Erin Millspaugh, ACSO D.A.R.E. Instructor Sgt. Chad Laws, and Sheriff Terry Johnson made the announcement in Ms. Kennedy’s classroom.
Sgt. Chad Laws made the nomination to the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officers Association. Ms. Kennedy will receive the award at the NCDOA’s conference in Atlantic Beach, N.C. on June 15, 2023.
Ms. Kennedy began her teaching career at A-O Elementary 19 years ago after moving to the area from New York. At this morning’s ceremony, she was presented with a certificate, an Alamance County Sheriff’s Office Challenge Coin, an ACSO cup, along with flowers and balloons. The 5th graders showed their excitement with shouts and applause for Ms. Kennedy.
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The focus is on assisting students in developing basic fundamental skills needed for making safe and responsible choices.
Lesson topics include: the harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco products, risk and consequences, peer pressure, dealing with stressful situations, communication confidently and effective listening, how to safely report bullying, helping others to demonstrate being a good citizen, and assisting students in outlining their own person help networks.
Congratulations Ms. Kennedy!
(L-R) Sheriff Terry Johnson, Sgt. Chad Laws, Ms. Erika Kennedy, Principal Erin Millspaugh
(L-R) Sheriff Terry Johnson, Ms. Erika Kennedy, Principal Erin Millspaugh
(L-R) Sgt. Chad Laws, Ms. Erika Kennedy, Principal Erin Millspaugh, Sheriff Terry Johnson
Alamance County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiators Lieutenant Brad Hall and Sgt. Matt Ward receive the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Director’s Partnership Award for Merit. The Award was presented by SBI Director Bob Schurmeier at SBI Headquarters in Raleigh on Tuesday May 16, 2023.
“In August of 2022, deputies with the Caswell County Sheriff’s Department were attempting to serve a Domestic Violence Restraining Order on Kevin DeSilva in Semora, NC. When the deputies arrived on scene, DeSilva opened fire on them, striking one with three rounds and unloading over 50 rounds of ammunition at the deputy’s patrol car. DeSilva proceeded to barricade himself inside his residence, firing rounds at officers throughout the day.
The Alamance County Special Response Team (SRT) was requested to respond.
Alamance County Detectives Lieutenant Brad Hall and Sgt. Matt Ward also responded to the mutual aid call by Caswell County for negotiators. Ward was able to establish a line of communication with DeSilva using his cell phone while Hall served as a coach.
SBI Negotiators were also requested to assist. Special Agents Michael Johnston, Nicole Ward, Will Cannon and West Team Leader Chris Chambliss responded to the scene. Upon arrival, Special Agents Johnston and Ward were directed to a vehicle where negotiations were attempting to be established by Alamance County negotiators.
The situation provided a challenging environment because negotiations were conducted using cellular phones. There was very limited coverage in the area, therefore negotiators had to remain stationary in the patrol vehicle and conduct negotiations from where they were positioned. Requests were made by command staff for Negotiators to move closer to the Incident Command Center to assist with intel communications, but the move would have hindered communications with DeSilva.
Despite the limitations in the environment, negotiations with DeSilva were established and progressed in a positive manner. DeSilva provided information to negotiators about weapons, ammunition, body armor, and potential explosives located in and around DeSilva’s residence. DeSilva also told negotiators the positioning of law enforcement personnel, which elevated the safety concern of the scene.
SBI Agents Mike Johnston and Nicole Ward assisted with intel and coaching to Det. Ward and Lt. Hall within the vehicle as well as providing the status of negotiations to command staff. Will and CNT West Team Leader Chris Chambliss provided negotiator intel support at the Command Center. SA Ward continued to send text messages regarding the status of the negotiations.
After a few hours, negotiators were disconnected from DeSilva’s cell phone. ASAC Long was able to obtain a land line phone number for DeSilva so negotiations could continue. After an approximately 6-hour standoff, DeSilva surrendered himself to Lieutenant Brad Hall and Sgt. Matt Ward.
In a situation such as this, it takes the trust and teamwork of all parties to ensure that the best course of action is taken. The personnel on scene trusted in the ability of the negotiators and refrained from employing various tactical solutions. Without the patience and communication skills exhibited by all of the negotiators, the incident would have surely ended with injury or loss of life.
Alamance County Negotiators Matt Ward and Brad Hall are deserving of the Partnership Award for Merit. Their training, patience and discipline paid off in this situation, saving injury and possible loss of life. We thank all of them collectively for their great work.”
(L-R) Sgt. Matt Ward, Director Schurmeier, Lieutenant Brad Hall
Suspect DeSilva surrenders to Sgt. Ward and Lt. Hall
On Monday, May 22, 2023 at 7:37 p.m., Deputies conducted a routine traffic stop on Greenwood Dr. near Justin Dr. north of Burlington, N.C. During the stop, a back-seat passenger exited the vehicle and ran into the woods. The male continued running after being advised to stop.
Witnesses identified the passenger as Michael Eugene Barbee who was known by Deputies to have an outstanding order for arrest (OFA) for felony larceny. The arrest order had a preset bond of $100,000.
Witnesses stated the Mr. Barbee was in a residence on Greenwood Dr. As Deputies approached the residence, Mr. Barbee attempted to leave in another vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted a short distance away where Mr. Barbee was taken into custody.
During a search incident to arrest of Mr. Barbee, methamphetamine was located in his pocket. A K9 sniff was conducted on his back with a positive alert.
Mr. Barbee was arrested and transported to the Alamance County Detention Center
Name: Michael Eugene Barbee W/M/39 1329 Haw River Hopedale Rd., Burlington, NC
Charges: 1ct Felony Possession of Methamphetamine, (M)1ct: Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, 1ct: Misdemeanor Resist, Delay, Obstruct an Officer
Bond: $100,000 secured for OFA, $20,000 secured for additional charges.
Over the course of the last few days, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office has responded to several reports in reference to motor vehicles being broken into at our County Parks and Recreation areas. From these events, the victims have had their windows broken and purses stolen. The suspects then travel to local retail and grocery stores to use the victims’ credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars in gift cards and money orders. The suspects are known to law enforcement agencies as the Felony Lane Gang.
The suspects are typically driving rental vehicles with out-of-state tags or they attempt to conceal the true registration by utilizing a fake paper temporary tag. The majority of the suspects are not local to Alamance County or to North Carolina. These individuals are known to commit these crimes in numerous states up and down the east coast looking for cars in parks to victimize. As the number of visitors to the park areas increases as citizens enjoy the nicer Spring and Summer weather, these types of crimes will typically increase in volume.
The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office is requesting that citizens who choose to visit these locations keep valuables with them, hide them in a location that cannot be seen from the outside of their vehicle, put them in the trunk, or leave those items that are not needed at that time at home. As always remain vigilant of your surroundings and if you see anything suspicious, contact the Sheriff’s Office. If you happen to become a victim, it is imperative that you immediately contact law enforcement and your bank to report the incident. After this, share what you can with law enforcement. Credit card numbers, fraudulent purchase amounts and time frames, and other items that were stolen during the incident. The suspects are very fast and will use the credit cards within minutes of the break-in. The quicker this information can be shared with law enforcement, the quicker the response, and hopeful apprehension of the suspects.
The Sheriff’s Office is also requesting that all retail stores verify the identity of those individuals who are purchasing large amounts of gift cards to the names on the credit cards. The majority of the suspects are concealing their identities from surveillance video footage by wearing hoodies, along with COVID masks.
Attached is the most recent vehicle involved in Cedar Rock Park and Shallowford Recreation Park and the suspect who used one of the most recent victim’s cards at Walmart on Garden Road in Burlington, N.C.
