A man without a shirt and waving knives was reported to Pinehurst police Oct. 23 and arrested at 2:43 p.m. A Pinehurst officer brought Charles Eddie Thomas Jr., 37, of Carthage, into custody and placed under a $35,000 bail bond.
Thomas is charged with assault with a deadly weapon against a government official, a felony. He is also charged with going armed to the terror of people and resisting a public officer, both misdemeanors.
His court date is Nov. 16 at Moore County District Court.
According to Interim Pinehurst Police Chief Glenn Webb, a call came in about a suspicious person on N.C. 5 and Hwy 211, and a person fitting the description was found walking on McKenzie Road. The officer asked if Thomas had any knives, and he took one out of its sheath at which time the officer told him to put it down.
Thomas put the knife down and then reached back down and grabbed it again.
The officer drew his weapon, and Thomas put the knife down.
“Someone within 21 feet is a threat,” Webb said about the officer and Thomas being only six to eight feet apart. “The officer de-escalated the situation. I am glad he did not have to use weapons for restraint, and he was arrested without incident.”
Thomas was found to have three knives and one box cutter on him.
Article by Sandhills Sentinel Journalism Intern Stephanie M. Sellers.
