NC: Coats Men Accused Of Terrorizing Community

[had_enuf]

http://www.mydailyrecord.com/main.asp?S ... leID=81772

10/18/2006 11:19:00 AM

Coats Men Accused Of Terrorizing Community

Jason Beck
Reporter

Three suspects in a ring of area break-ins were caught Monday by Sampson County Sheriff's deputies. Authorities say the three Coats men had been targeting families in Latino communities in three counties.

Jose Carlos Ramieriez Hernandez, 30, of N.C. 27, Coats, Omar Perez Chavez, 26, and Rosario Moises Perez Chales, 29, both of 34 Fourth St., Coats were arrested and charged with three counts each of first-degree burglary, robbery with a dangerous weapon and second-degree kidnapping.

The three are all being held at the Sampson County Detention Center under $500,000 bond.

Peggy Sue Swink, 36, was with the three suspects and was found to be wanted in Wake County for probation violations.

According to Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, the three men allegedly are involved in a string of armed robberies. His deputies were waiting for their next attack when the suspects were caught.

"Based on the pattern identified by detectives, they set up surveillance with assistance from the Highway Enforcement Awareness Team over a two-week period," he said. "On Sunday night their hard work paid off.

"The people who terrorized the Hispanic community in northern Sampson County and Duplin County were brought to justice," he said.

Chief Deputy John Conerly said the men had attacked three Sampson families, one Duplin family and one Johnston family. When officers spotted a car matching the description of the one used by the men, they moved in.

He said the men who allegedly committed the crimes knew what they were after when they entered a home.

"They were mostly looking for money, cell phones, ID cards etc.," Chief Conerly said. "It was armed home invasion."

He speculated the three men, who are all illegal aliens, could have been using the ID cards to steal legal citizens' identities. He said he has no idea how much money or valuables have been stolen.

Chief Conerly said he hopes the arrests will build trust between the Latino community and the sheriff's office. He said the department experienced no real communication problem while investigating the crimes and is glad to serve everyone living in the county.

"We serve them too," he said. "We have several Hispanic officers, so it worked out."

[Dixie]

Can you say immigration hold!

Dixie

[JohnB2012]

Peggy Sue Swink: prostitution, assault and shoplifting.

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/apps/of ... mtimesin=1

Wow, doing a search on Jose Hernandez brings up 230 files!

[loservillelabor]

http://www.clintonnc.com/articles/20...topstory90.txt
Home invasion, armed robbery suspects jailed


By Chris Berendt
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 10:55 AM EDT

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton credited the investigative work of his deputies, and two full weeks of surveillance, for the arrests of three suspects alleged to have committed a series of home invasions and armed robberies along the northern part of the county in recent weeks. The sheriff said the investigation was able to remove three men who authorities believed “terrorized” and stole from members of the Hispanic community.

The investigative work was done by officers in Sampson and Duplin counties into a series of home invasions targeting Hispanic families over a period of several weeks.

“That’s solely who they were targeting,” Thornton noted.

The three home invasions and armed robberies to which Sampson sheriff’s deputies have linked the men all occurred in the last month, according to reports.

“This has been going on for several weeks,” the sheriff said. In each case, the men would barge into labor camps where the victims were working and, armed with guns, they would demand money, said Thornton. “We knew all these labor camps were being hit.”

The three men arrested, also Hispanic and all of Harnett County, are Jose Carlos Ramieriez Hernandez, 30, of N.C. 27 Coats, Rosario Moises Perez Chaises, 29, and Omar Perez Chavez, 26, both of 34 4th St., Coats.


They were each charged by Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities with three counts each of first-degree burglary, robbery with a dangerous weapon and second-degree kidnapping. Each of the men was placed in the Sampson County Detention Center under $500,000 bond. All of the men were also found to be in the country illegally.

The charges against the men stem from three separate home invasions, in which there was a total of 18 Hispanic residents victimized, approximately $4,340 stolen and several cell phones, Mexican ID cards and N.C. driver’s licenses also reportedly taken.

The armed robberies were reported on successive weekends in September.

The first incident reported to sheriff’s authorities came shortly after 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17. Six victims told authorities they were robbed at their Hobbton Highway residence of approximately $1,200 in cash and a cell phone, valued at $50.



The second robbery was reported shortly before midnight the next Saturday, Sept. 23. There were seven victims in that incident, which occurred at their Plain View Highway residence. According to reports, $1,940 was taken in the robbery, as well as several ID cards, driver’s licenses and a Social Security card.

The last reported robbery came a week later, on Sept. 30. In that one, five victims reported that they were robbed of $1,200 in cash and a cell phone, valued at $100, while at their East Barefoot Road home. That robbery was reported shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Following the robberies, sheriff’s authorities kicked the investigation into overdrive, conducting surveillance over a two-week period. The surveillance included posting detectives and road deputies around several labor camps in the northern part of the county — and waiting.

This past weekend, sheriff’s authorities scoured the targeted labor camps on both Saturday and Sunday night, utilizing 11 deputies one night and eight the next.

“Based on the pattern identified by detectives, they set up surveillance with assistance from the Highway Enforcement Awareness Team over a two-week period,” said Thornton.

While Saturday night’s surveillance turned up nothing, Sunday was a different story.

At 11 p.m. Sunday, the men were taken into custody on Maple Grove Church Road in the northern part of the county, west of Newton Grove.

“The detectives observed a silver Ford sport utility vehicle matching the description pulling into a predominantly Hispanic community and stopped them before they could terrorize another family,” said Thornton. “On Sunday night their hard work paid off. The people who terrorized the Hispanic community in northern Sampson County and Duplin County were brought to justice.”

The men were detained at that time and later charged in connection with the three robberies, as well as one in Duplin County, according to authorities. Deputies seized two firearms from the men at the time of their arrest and authorities said they believed it was their intention to commit another home invasion that night.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Ricky Mattocks, detective with the Criminal Investigation Division, said the string of home invasions are still under investigation and there may be additional incidents that were not reported. Mattocks and Thornton each noted that, with the men now in custody, others who may have been victimized by way of a similar home invasion and armed robbery might come forward.

The sheriff praised his deputies, saying the time and effort put forth in their investigation and surveillance work paid off.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@intrstar.net.