LUMBERTON — The District Attorney’s Office has reached plea bargains with five murder defendants.
Michelle Leigh Pinck, of Elizabethtown, was originally charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery in the August 2008 shooting death of Jeremy Lee Locklear, according to District Attorney Johnson Britt. Pinck pleaded guilty on Monday to accessory after the fact in exchange for testifying against a co-defendant, Paul Brooks, of Lake Waccamaw, who was arrested and charged earlier this month.
According to previous news reports, Locklear was leaving a nightclub on Lackey Street called Club ‘N Motion in the early morning of Aug. 31, 2008, with a woman in a Toyota Camry. While the car traveled down Old Whiteville Road in Lumberton, someone who had been hiding in the back seat of the Camry attempted to rob Locklear.
When Locklear tried to flee from the vehicle, he was shot once in the back. Authorities later identified the woman as Pinck.
“She’s been cooperating with us and has agreed to testify against Mr. Brooks,” Britt said. “Her plea is conditioned on her continued cooperation. If she refuses to testify or fails to testify truly, then the plea agreement can be set aside and original charges can be reinstated.”
She will serve 44 to 62 months in jail, and will get credit toward that sentence for the 18 months she has already served, Britt said.
Also this month, two men pleaded guilty in an October 2006 drive-by shooting in Pembroke that killed 26-year-old Crystal Locklear.
Cashley Carl Scott, of Maxton, and Joshua Wayne Locklear, of Rowland, were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and discharging a weapon into occupied property, Britt said. They pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in discharging a firearm into an occupied property in operation in exchange for testifying against co-defendant John Darren Bullard, he said.
Since the incident, each man was also arrested on unrelated drug charges, Britt said.
Scott pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and delivery of cocaine and maintaining a drug dwelling, and was sentenced to 16 to 20 months, Britt said. He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and was sentenced to eight to 10 months.
“That sentence is suspended and he’s placed on probation after being released from prison in the first charges,” Britt said.
For the accessory charge, Scott was sentenced to 25 to 30 months, suspended.
Joshua Locklear pleaded guilty to possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, and was sentenced to eight to 10 months, Britt said. In the accessory charge, Locklear was sentenced to 29 to 44 months, suspended, and he was placed on probation with a special condition to serve a split sentence of four months.
“He’s on probation for it all, but he goes to serve a ‘split sentence,’ which is an active component of probation,” Britt said. “Likewise, his is conditioned upon him testifying truthfully in the prosecution of John Darren Bullard. If he fails to do that or refuses to cooperate, then the agreement is null and void and the original charges can be reinstated.”
In September, Glenn Marquee Brown, 24, of Rowland, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the November 2008 shooting death of John Arthor McDaniel, Britt said. He was sentenced to 150 to 189 months.
Brown was originally charged with first-degree murder for shooting and killing McDaniel during an argument on Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, Britt said. While McDaniel was arguing with Brown’s brother, Brown got a 12-gauge shotgun from the trunk of his car and shot McDaniel five times.
“There had been some type of altercation taking place the day before where Mr. Brown and some people went to Mr. McDaniel’s house and there were some words exchanged between Mr. McDaniel and Mr. Brown that escalated in the front yard,” Britt said.
Part of the dispute came from an earlier shooting in Rowland during which a relative of Brown’s shot and killed a relative of McDaniel’s, but the evidence showed that McDaniel’s cousin initiated the shooting, Britt said.
Also in September, a Red Springs woman pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and second-degree murder for dousing her boyfriend with kerosene and setting him on fire while he was sleeping, Britt said.
Sheila Caroline Oxendine, 41, was originally charged with first-degree arson and first-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Austin Wilson, on May 8, 2007, Britt said. She was sentenced on Sept. 19 to 252 to 312 months in prison, he said.
Red Springs police responded to a fire at 120 Hacket St. and saw the house ablaze, and Wilson running out of the house on fire, Britt said.
“He told police that she had thrown gasoline and kerosene on him and set him on fire,” he said. Wilson later died at the Burn Center at UNC Hospitals. Oxendine also set fire to the home, which was destroyed.
Britt said Oxendine made allegations of domestic violence against Wilson. She has a previous criminal history that includes forgery, larceny, misdemeanor breaking and entering and injury to personal property, which Britt said contributed to her receiving more jail time.
The 2nd was Carmicheal, and I thought he was very fair, kind, and understanding to my situation. I would choose him any day, over some of the other stooges they have in that courthouse!!
Hopefully one day we the citizens of Robeson County will get a real DA. This office and its employees are a huge joke. Wanna get away with something or get a slap on the wrist do before these bunch of losers lose there jobs. Vote these people out.
Robeson County's new motto:
Do what you want, its okay. We will give you a lollipop and send you on your way!!!!!!!!!
In reference to Scott and Locklear subjects... yes they are drug dealers and should have received an active sentence. BUT let's not forget who John Bullard is... let's call him by the name everyone know "Blue Eye John"... Shain "Stunna" Dial's right hand man... there is a lot that can come out about him too, so lets not act as if he is completely innocent. Even if John Bullard a.k.a Blue Eye John escapes this charge... i am pretty sure he has bigger problems (FEDS!!!).
I don't support all of DA Johnson decisions but sometimes uncooperative witnesses and bad police work forces him to make a deal. BUT if you want something done... find someone to run against him.
GOD BLESS THIS COUNTY!!!
First, she should be happy that something wanted to stay with her in the first place. If there was domestic violence, then the door is always there woman, not a can of kerosene. What the h**l is wrong with the DA here? This thing should have received the death penalty, not a free ride on the taxpayer.
Well, it will be interesting to see if my coveted Scum Defender award is claimed for any of this lovely crowd.
Decent Robesonians, until this DA and these judges are replaced, you had better go get your fire arms and plenty of ammo. You will need it!
Let's get some young, energetic crime hating DA in to run for this seat and start locking up some of this scum, and executing the guilty ones. And let's get rid of as many of these criminal loving judges as possible.
Remember these names: Daniels, Carmicael, and Carter. They condone violence against women, hand out release with little or no bail, and are more on the side of the criminal than the victim. Daniels is incompetent - she doesn't even know how to prepare a proper restraining order to protect a woman from her ex. I know that first hand from my family's experience.
PLEASE, if you love this county, or ever hope for it to improve, clip this and take it to the polls. Go vote when its time and rid our county of some of these fat, lazy ticks!!