| December
20, 2004 |
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| Arrests
Made in Burke County Robberies |
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Thomas T. Scott |
Franklin L. Wilkerson |
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| Burke investigators say that a man arrested for
a December 15th armed robbery in Valdese has been connected to several other
recent robberies in Morganton. |
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| Thomas Terrell "Tom Tom" Scott, 35, of 1310
Avery Road, Morganton was questioned concerning the robbery of Heather K.
Jenkins, of 550 Brevard Drive, Valdese. The woman alleged that Scott and
another man known as "Rock" came to her house and robbed her at gunpoint,
taking several hundred dollars on December 15th. |
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| Investigators believe they know the identity of
the second suspect, and are attempting to locate him, according to one
investigator. |
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| Scott was arrested for armed robbery in that
case, and the investigation snowballed and implicated Scott in other recent
robberies, according to Burke County Detective Robert F. Beall. |
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| Beall said that investigators are planning to
indict Scott for the November 30th robbery of Southern Convenience Store on
Highway 181 in Morganton. In that incident, the store clerk reported that a
black male posed as if he were buying an item. When the cash register was
opened to make the transaction, the man assaulted the clerk, grabbed money from
the register and fled, said Beall. |
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| Beall stated that Franklin Laquin Wilkerson, 26,
of 49 George Street, Nebo, was with Scott during the Southern Convenience Store
robbery. Scott was arrested without incident by Marion Police on December 16th
and charged by Burke detectives with common law robbery. |
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| Detectives with the Morganton Department of
Public Safety are also investigating Scott for a robbery of a convenience store
in Morganton the same night Southern Convenience Store was robbed, according to
reports. Beall said the two robberies had similar characteristics and are
believed to be connected. |
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| Scott was jailed under a $25,000 secured bond
for the robbery of the Valdese woman. Wilkerson's bond for the Southern
Convenience Store robbery was set at $20,000. Both men had first court
appearances on December 17th. |
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| Assisting Burke County Sheriff's Office in the
case were the Morganton Department of Public Safety, McDowell County Sheriff's
Office, and Marion Police Department. |
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