On Janurary 31, 2017 at 8:39 pm a 78 year old resident of Dallas Paul Road in Belhaven, reported she had been robbed in her home by a young man wearing a mask, gloves and carrying an AK47 rifle. The victim told Deputies the gunman entered her house, showed her the gun and demanded money. The victim was able to describe the suspect’s clothing and give details about the car used to flee after the robbery. Deputies and Investigators were on the scene for over an hour interviewing the victim and searching for physical evidence.
About 30 minutes after the Sheriff’s Office cleared the robbery scene, Beaufort County Communications received a report of a motor vehicle crash on Highway 32 north. The caller reported the white male driver of the car, got out of the vehicle with 2 guns in hand, got into another vehicle and left the scene. Deputies, the NC Highway Patrol, Pinetown Fire and EMS responded and minutes later the driver, Michael David Respess, age 20, of Pantego NC, returned to the accident scene. While continuing their investigation, Deputies found the car Respess was driving matched the description of the car used in the robbery and recovered the rifle used in the robbery. Respess was taken into custody by the Highway Patrol, processed for and charged with Driving While Impaired. He was later interviewed by Sheriff’s Investigators and subsequently charged with one count each of First Degree Burglary and Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon.
During the interview with Respess, Investigators identified Joshua Scott Carpenter, age 19, also of Pantego, as his accomplice. Carpenter who faces the same charges was arrested the next evening at a residence in Washington NC. Both men were ordered held in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $75,000.00 secured bond.
