A three day initiative dubbed Operation Zero Hour resulted in the arrest of 123 individuals and the service of 170 warrants charging individuals for various violent crimes including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, child molestation, and parole/probation violations. Beginning in the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday February 23rd, law enforcement officers in Robeson County hit the streets in search of some of the area’s most dangerous offenders.
Officers and investigators from these agencies combined their extensive resources to seek out individuals attempting to avoid capture and prosecution:
- United States Marshals Service
- North Carolina State Highway Patrol
- North Carolina Department of Public Safety: Community Corrections
- North Carolina Department of Public Safety: Special Operations and Intelligence Unit
- Lumberton Police Department
- Robeson County Sheriff’s Office
- Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office
- Fayetteville Police Department
- Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Hoke County Sheriff’s Office
- United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- District Attorney’s Office District 16B
This operation resulted in the location and apprehension of extremely violent offenders throughout Robeson county and the United States. The culmination of this operation does not mark the end of its success. Based on the intelligence gathered and partnerships formulated during this initiative, additional arrests are imminent.
Some of the more significant arrests made during this operation include:
Timothy Locklear: first degree murder and attempted first degree rape.
Donald Maynor: accessory after the fact to murder and felony death by vehicle.
Christopher McLaurin: sexual offense against a child.
Donald McIntyre: kidnapping, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and multiple parole violations.
Darien Lewis: accessory after the fact to murder in relation to a double homicide.
“U.S. Marshals and our local and state law enforcement partners will utilize all resources available to seek out individuals attempting to avoid prosecution and we will work tirelessly to ensure that the victims of these crimes will not fall prey to these violent offenders again,” said Scott J. Parker, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “This initiative demonstrated the partnership and dedication of the men and women of the U.S. Marshals and our law enforcement partners here in Robeson County and throughout Eastern North Carolina. When law enforcement agencies have the trust and the cooperation of the people within the communities in which they serve, great things can and will happen. The safety of the citizens and children residing in our communities will always remain a top priority of the U.S. Marshals. I want to thank all of the law enforcement officers from the participating agencies for their relentless pursuit of justice here in North Carolina.”
“This week’s effort removed weapons and drugs from the streets and many violent offenders were jailed and held accountable for their actions,” said Secretary Frank L. Perry of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. “We are grateful for the collaboration of our local and federal partners in helping make a safer community in Robeson County.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Hyman stated, “ATF measures its success in reducing violent crime by taking high risk and violent offenders off the streets. This operation is a great example of law enforcement’s collaborative effort to keep our communities safe and it showcases what law enforcement can accomplish when we share a common goal.”
“The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is always eager to assist in removing violent individuals from our communities," said Colonel Bill Grey, Commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. "The collaborative efforts displayed by each agency during this operation reflects the true partnerships that exist among all law enforcement."
“As the Sheriff, I would like to thank all agencies involved for working together, said Kenneth Sealey, Sheriff of Robeson County. “Everyone worked hand in hand together to accomplish our goal to remove violent offenders off the streets along with weapons and narcotics.”
“First and foremost, I am a citizen of Lumberton and of the County of Robeson, NC,” said Chief Michael McNeill of the Lumberton Police Department. We pray that this will let our citizens and visitors of Lumberton and Robeson County know that their safety is our top priority. We want them to feel safe and at ease as they travel throughout the City of Lumberton and Robeson County. The task of ridding the city and the county of violent crimes is a continued process. With the combined efforts of our law enforcement partners and citizens, we will continue to work together to lower crime and make our city and county a safe place in which to live and work.”
“Through the combined efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, some of the most violent fugitives in North Carolina are now behind bars,” said John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI. “The FBI is committed to helping making our communities safer and more secure by assisting our partners with this important round-up operation.”
This operation is the largest of its kind to be conducted in this county, and follows the successful conclusion of other such operations sponsored by the U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The Marshals have developed a system of partnering with state and local agencies in an effort to ensure that those violent offenders that attempt to evade the judicial system are brought back to face prosecution for their crimes.