Fugitive on run since 2020 found when deputies spot trap door under rug, NC cops say
A fugitive “wanted on numerous felony charges” was captured in an unexpected way when deputies lifted a rug and discovered a trap door in the floor of a North Carolina home, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened Monday, Oct. 30, in Mooresboro, and three people were arrested, including a resident of the home now charged with harboring a fugitive, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Mooresboro is about 55 miles west of Charlotte.
Deputies went to the 924-square-foot home on NC Highway 120 in hope of finding a 34-year-old man who they said has been on the run since 2020, officials said.
“Once at the residence, investigators were advised by numerous subjects at the residence that (the man) was not there, and they hadn’t seen him, even though evidence at the residence proved otherwise,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Investigators conducted a search of the residence. During the search, investigators located a trap door in the floor of a room concealed under a rug. (The 34-year-old) was located under the residence.”
He surrendered without incident, but two other people in the home — a 57-year-old man and 23-year-old woman — were charged with resisting officers, deputies said. The 57-year-old man lives at the home, and the woman was visiting, officials said.
Bond was set at $95,000 for the fugitive found beneath the trap door, and he faces charges of:
- Possession of firearm by felon
- Possession of methamphetamine
- Two counts of felony fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle
- Misdemeanor fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle
- Three counts of resisting an officer
- Two counts of driving while license revoked
- Two counts of operating a vehicle without insurance
- Two counts of having fictitious registration plates
- Two counts of having no vehicle registration
This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Fugitive on run since 2020 found when deputies spot trap door under rug, NC cops say."