Moore County Sheriff Lane Carter said investigators have charged David Lynn Gibson, 26, 300 Odessa Lane in Carthage, with one count of armed robbery, one count of attempted robbery and two counts of kidnapping in relation to separate incidents at Cooper's Pharmacy, on old U.S. 1 in Vass.
Investigators charged Sean Michael Schultz, 26, of 355 Radford Road in Sanford, with various counts of robbery and kidnapping Thursday in relation to the same two incidents.
The investigation continues, and more arrests could follow depending on where the evidence leads, Carter said. Gibson's bond was set at $50,000 secured. His first court date is scheduled for July 17. (Read Carter's statement on the second arrest.)
"He came in and said, 'I held up Cooper's Pharmacy -- and I want a lawyer,'" Carter said Friday at a lunch honoring James R. "Chief" Grissom, who retired after a law enforcement career spanning 47 years. The room was full of officers who'd spent many a late hour earlier in the week following leads on two armed holdups at the Vass pharmacy.
Officials arrested Schultz based on evidence obtained from a stolen four-wheeler Schultz reportedly used in the June 20 attempted robbery, Carter said. That morning, a man masked in a motorcycle helmet entered the pharmacy brandishing a gun and demanding that a clerk give him Oxycontin and money.
Instead, the clerk pulled a gun of his own and fired three shots, causing the suspect to flee on a yellow four-wheeler, escaping down some railroad tracks.
Sheriff's Detective Lt. Richard Talbert said the time of day helped officials to track the suspect.
This incident occurred at 10:28 a.m., according to a statement from Carter's office announcing the arrest. (Read the statement .)
On April 25 at approximately 5:40 p.m., a white male entered Cooper's.
"The subject was armed with a pistol and demanded drugs," according to a statement from Carter. He was described as short in stature, wearing a mask, dark colored clothes and red tennis shoes.
He fled with a large amount of narcotics.
The suspect in the June 20 incident was described at the scene as between 5'4" and 5'8" with a slim build and facial hair.
On Monday, officials with the Moore County Sheriff's Office and Vass Police Department located a yellow four-wheeler matching the description of the one used in the most recent incident, according to the sheriff.
That four-wheeler was reported stolen in Harnett County on June 19, according to the statement.
"We determined the man was not from Moore County," Carter said in his statement. Investigators arrested Schultz in the Harnett County portion of Sanford.
"Following leads from the recovery of the stolen four wheeler investigators developed a suspect and recovered some of the narcotics stolen from the first robbery," Carter stated.
Schultz was charged with one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon and one count of felony second-degree kidnapping with regards to the April 25 incident. He also was charged with one count of felony attempted robbery and one count of second-degree kidnapping in relation to the June 20 incident.
Schultz was held under a $25,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is set for Monday.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
See Sunday's Pilot for the full story.
