On 04/02/2018 at about 3:00 am members of the Pinetown, Bunyan and Bath Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a reported abandoned house fire on North White Post Road in the Pinetown area of Beaufort County. The fire was immediately believed to be suspicious and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to begin an investigation.
About 2 weeks later on 04/21/2018 at about 9:30 am members of the Pinetown Volunteer Fire Department and the NC Forestry Service were dispatched to a brush fire in the area of 1125 North White Post Road. That fire was also believed to be suspicious, as area residents saw and described a suspect seen coming out of the woods near the fire and leaving the area on a bicycle.
On 04/24/2018 at about 4:30 am an elderly resident of North White Post Road, while sleeping, heard noises in her garage. She armed herself and went to investigate. She saw a man standing at her door attempting to gain entry into her residence. Once the suspect realized he had been detected he turned and ran from the scene. While the Sheriff’s Office was investigating that incident, area residents awakened to find someone had broken into their cars and stolen a number of items including money, glasses and cell phones. Acting on a tip from an area resident, the suspect was identified and located. His residence was searched and multiple stolen items from the car break-ins and from the garage of the homeowner who confronted him at her door, were recovered.
After conducting interviews, collecting the stolen property and interviewing the suspect himself, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Investigators charged William Lloyd Russ, age 37 of Pinetown with 1 count of First Degree Burglary, 1 count of Burning of Other Buildings, 1 count of Setting Fire to Grass or Woods, 1 count of Breaking and Entering, 2 counts of Breaking and Entering a Motor Vehicle and 4 counts of Larceny After Breaking and Entering. Russ was ordered held in the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $75,000.00 secured bond. Russ is likely facing more charges in this case.
