| October 17, 2006 |
| |
| UPDATE: Lucas Arrested at Local
Motel |
| |
A Burke County deputy
arrested a man who had been on the run since the weekend, charged with robbing
and striking a store clerk on Friday.
James Keenan Lucas, (right),
22, of 1292 Oak Hill Drive, Morganton was arrested without incident in the
parking lot of the Red Carpet Inn.
The man was jailed under a $75,000
bond and will have a first court appearance tomorrow. |
 |
|
| The robbery was reported
to the Sheriff's Office at 1:52 AM on Friday. |
| |
| Julie Cruz-Mendoza told
deputies responding to Southern Convenience Store, located at 1150 North
Green Street in Morganton, that she was assisting a co-worker in cleaning the
store for an upcoming inspection. |
| |
| Mendoza stated that as
she exited the business, she was followed by a man later identified as Lucas,
whom she recognized because he often visited the store. |
| |
| As she got into her car
to leave, Mendoza told authorities the man jumped into the passenger side of
the vehicle and stuck a handgun into her side. The man allegedly told her to
give him her money or he would shoot her. |
| |
| Mendoza said she gave
the man the money from her purse, and then he hit her in the mouth with the
gun and exited the vehicle. |
| |
| The man reportedly got
into a gray Chevrolet Impala and headed north on North Green Street as the
woman called the Sheriff's Office. |
| |
| Lieutenant Don Barber
with the Sheriff's Office located the suspect vehicle on Spainhour Road, and
attempted to stop it as it turned into the Hidden Valley community. |
| |
| That's when Lucas ran
from the passenger side of the vehicle, and was identified by Barber, according
to reports. An attempt to locate him was unsuccessful. |
| |
| Detectives were called
to the scene and have questioned four others who were inside the car, but they
have yet to be charged as the investigation continues. |
| |
| According to the North
Carolina Department of Corrections' website, Lucas was released from prison on
August 8th after serving an eight month sentence for possession of controlled
substances. |
| |
| ************************************************************** |
| |
| Other Recent Press
Releases: |
| |
|
|
| |
| To view previous press releases, visit
our archives
file |
