The search for an alleged criminal who had many in the Woodington area of Lenoir County alarmed is over.
Curtis Darnell Williams, 19, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning in Jacksonville, ending a nearly 24-hour search for a man who will be charged with various burglary offenses.
His crimes include breaking into a home —in which he allegedly took a shower before continuing his spree.
Officials with the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office said Williams was involved in a traffic accident at 7:34 a.m. Tuesday at Richlands Road and U.S. 17 near Jacksonville in a stolen Toyota Camry.
“We were notified by Jacksonville police he was involved in a traffic accident,” Lenoir County Sheriff Chris Hill said. “He gave them false information about his identity and they took him into custody. He was booked at Onslow County Jail and fingerprinted, where it was determined by his identity, he was wanted in Lenoir and Duplin County.”
The Camry had two valuable items in it, Hill said.
“The vehicle contained two firearms,” he said. “We believe one was stolen from a vehicle in Lenoir, the other in Duplin County.”
The search for Williams started Monday around 8:30 a.m., when he broke into a car near Woodington Middle School and fled after being confronted by the victim.
“Apparently, he was staying inside the car,” Hill said. “He broke in it, slept in it and when the owner confronted him, that’s when he took off. He may have broken into another car not far from here, and that was the report of the stolen handgun.”
Lenoir County and Duplin County deputies searched for Williams through the woods, along with help from a State Highway Patrol helicopter, which is based in Kinston.
Williams has 18 court cases pending in Duplin County and was released from the county’s jail in August after serving time for breaking and entering.
Duplin County Sheriff Blake Wallace said Williams’ court cases had nothing to do with deputies searching for him on Labor Day, however.
“We were requested to assist the Lenoir County deputies,” Wallace said. “They only had so many on staff because of Labor Day and in the heat, officers can get exhausted.”
The search was suspended at 5 p.m., Monday. After the search was postponed, Williams broke into three more pieces of property, all at a home on Lightwood Knot Road.
“It appears he exited the woods sometime last night, about a half-mile where officers came out on the highway,” Hill said. “He broke into the homeowner’s utility shed behind her home and stayed there through the night.”
After the female homeowner went to bed, she heard noises around midnight. But because she owned dogs, the sheriff said she didn’t think anything about it.
That’s when Williams allegedly decided to clean up.
“Apparently, the suspect broke into the home, took a shower and rambled through the house,” Hill said. “(He took) her money and keys to her Toyota Camry, which we now have recovered.”
While the search for Williams was taking place Tuesday morning, students were returning to class at Woodington Middle School. The school’s interim principal, Pamela Heath, worked on securing the school and putting the minds of concerned parents at ease for Tuesday’s classes.
“What I did late (Monday) was send a detailed message to the administration and kept contact with parents and the officers,” Heath said. “(The faculty and I) walked the halls with our resource officer until 11:17, when we got a message that (Williams) had been caught. There were two highway patrolmen here, and we had law enforcement present all morning.”
Heath made sure the school building was secure, in case Williams tried to hide there.
“We thoroughly checked the building, which was safe, solid and secure,” Heath said. “We kept a regular schedule, but there was limited movement throughout the morning. The teachers kept the classes secured.”
Heath also had conversations with parents, who were worried about the safety of their children at the school.
“I had several phone calls from concerned parents and helped to calm them down about fears,” she said. “All kids were safe and secure, and it was a very smooth day. The parents were very cooperative and the staff helped out.”
Lidia Guzman, Lenoir County Schools Public Information Officer, praised Heath’s performance..
“(Heath) did a fantastic job,” Guzman said. “She talked to parents, faculty and law enforcement, and corresponding with them was a good mode of communication.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.