| August 1, 2006 |
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| Charges Levied in Alleged Car
Theft Ring |
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A deputy
observing two suspicious looking men on Sunday has led to their arrest on drug
charges, and the arrest of another man possessing two stolen
vehicles.
Randy Cecil Phillips (left), 44,
of 6019 Barlett Road, Granite Falls, was arrested for felonious possession of
two vehicles, and felonious altering their serial numbers. He was jailed under
a $25,000 bond and will have a first court appearance tomorrow. |
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| According to an
investigator with the Burke County Narcotics Task Force, Deputy Sgt. Alan Cobb
stopped a 1999 Fort F-250 pickup in Rutherford College because the occupants
were acting suspicious. |
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Cobb reportedly
located marijuana in the vehicle and arrested the occupants, David Ashley
Watson (right), 31, of 71 Lakeside Avenue,
Granite Falls, and Timothy Wayne Sweat (left,
below), 45, of 3047 Eli Lane, Hudson.
Watson was charged
with carrying a concealed weapon, and Sweat was charged with possession of
controlled substances with the intent to manufacture a Schedule VI drug. |
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The vehicle was
seized, according to reports, as neither Watson or Sweat claimed ownership of
the vehicle.
Investigators with the Burke County Narcotics Task Force,
North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau, and
Caldwell County Sheriff's Office soon became involved in the case, after it was
learned that the Ford truck's identification number had been switched. |
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| After identifying the
correct vehicle identification number (VIN) on the truck, investigators learned
it had been stolen from Hickory in May. A detective stated that additional
information led them to a Burke County location where the VIN had been
altered. |
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| Three additional
vehicles were recovered as a continuation of the investigation, according to
the Task Force news release. |
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| A 1997 Nissan truck with
an altered VIN number was seized from 6208 Berea Avenue in Connelly Springs,
another address listed to Phillips. It had been reported stolen from Hickory in
May, 2005, the release stated. |
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| Investigators said they
located a stolen 1989 Nissan Maxima at Phillips' Granite Falls address. A Dodge
reported stolen on June 6th was located at Sweat's residence in Hudson. Both
vehicles reportedly had altered identification numbers. |
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| More charges are
imminent, a detective stated. |
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| ************************************************************** |
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