Facebook Marketplace robbery suspect arrested in Selma after July armed hold-up
Tony Moore, 23, was taken into custody last week over a July armed robbery staged as a watch sale on Facebook Marketplace in Selma, NC.
Selma man arrested months after Facebook Marketplace robbery and kidnapping
Tony Moore, 23, of Selma, North Carolina, was taken into custody last week by Mount Olive Police and charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and second-degree kidnapping, jocoreport.com reports. Warrants for his arrest had been obtained by the Selma Police Department following an incident dating back to 14 July.
The charges stem from a meeting arranged through Facebook Marketplace in the car park of a BP convenience store on U.S. 70 in Selma. The victim had listed a watch for sale on the platform and agreed to meet Moore to complete the transaction. Authorities allege Moore robbed the victim instead of purchasing the item.
After the robbery, the suspect fled on foot behind the convenience store, moving toward a nearby apartment complex and then into a wooded area along railroad tracks. Selma Police established a perimeter and deployed a drone during the search. The Johnston County Sheriff's Office also assisted in the operation, but Moore was not located that day. Investigators subsequently identified him as the suspect and secured arrest warrants.
Prior assault charge from earlier that month
The Facebook Marketplace robbery took place just ten days after Moore had already been arrested on an unrelated assault charge. On 4 July, Johnston County sheriff's deputies responded to a Taco Bell on South Merchant Avenue in the Flowers community near Clayton at around 10:03 p.m.
According to authorities, two employees had been involved in an argument before a manager directed both to leave the restaurant. Moore, the boyfriend of one of the employees, allegedly intervened and repeatedly struck the other worker. The 30-year-old victim sustained serious injuries and was transported to hospital. Moore was charged with felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury in connection with that incident.
Following his arrest in Wayne County on the robbery warrants, Moore was also served with a failure to appear in court warrant related to the Taco Bell assault charge. He was held without bond after his first court appearance.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)