| December
12, 2003 |
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Detectives Crack More Armed Robbery Cases |
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Nathan J. Lillard |
Matthew D. Church |
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| Investigators with the Burke County Sheriff's
Office and Morganton Department of Public Safety say they have cracked two more
armed robbery cases which occurred in the area within the last three
weeks. |
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| Charged with the November 22nd robbery to
Foothill Community Market on Highway 18 South, and the Jamestown Road Colonel's
Pantry robbery on December 6th are Nathan James Lillard, 20, and Matthew David
Church, 18. |
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| In the November robbery, deputies were summoned
to Foothills Community Market after a male robbed the business armed with a
long barreled revolver. Witnesses gave detectives a description of the robber
and reported they had seen a blue Ford Ranger pickup in the area at the time of
the robbery. |
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| On December 6th, Morganton public safety
officers responded to the Colonel's Pantry on Jamestown Road after it was
robbed in a similar fashion, and detectives with the Sheriff's Office and
Morganton Department of Public Safety began investigating the incidents
together. |
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| Detectives said that a few days after the
Colonel's Pantry robbery, a long barreled revolver was found on the side of
I-40 by a road crew with the Department of Corrections. |
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| An investigation into the found weapon
subsequently brought Lillard and Church into the picture as suspects, according
to Det. Tim Corriveau of the Sheriff's Office. |
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| Lillard and Church, who reportedly cooperated
with the investigation, were charged later after other items used in the
robberies were located, and the revolver was identified as the robbery
weapon. |
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| Corriveau said Church was the driver of the blue
pickup truck in the Foothills Market robbery. He allegedly parked on the side
of the road just past the market while Lillard walked into the business and
robbed the owner at gunpoint of approximately $300. |
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| In the Colonels' Pantry robbery, investigators
allege Church was driving a purple Grand Am and parked nearby as Lillard robbed
the store. The amount of money taken was slightly in excess of $100,
Corriveau said. |
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| Lillard, of 4050 Silver Trail in Morganton, and
Church, who resides at 6408 East Meadow Trail in Morganton, were arrested
on December 11th and charged with two counts of robbery with a dangerous
weapon. Bond was set for Lillard at $50,000, and at $25,000 for Church. The two
suspects' next court appearance is set for December 29th. |
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