RRSpin - News

Details: Lance Martin; News; 28 July 2009; 1977

Joshua Rouse, charged in the June murder of an Applebee’s manager, was transported to Central Prison in Raleigh over the weekend after he allegedly cut an inmate in the Halifax County Jail.

Lt. Bobby Martin of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office told The Spin this morning Rouse, a former employee of the restaurant, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

The cutting occurred after Rouse, 22, asked an inmate for his soup. The inmate gave Rouse his soup but refused to give him the crackers which accompanied the meal, Martin said.

Rouse became angry and cut the inmate in the face with a homemade blade. The inmate received stitches in his left eye brow, bridge of his nose and inside of his lip.

Rouse was in the Halifax County Jail awaiting an appearance on a first-degree murder and armed robbery charge in the stabbing and cutting death of Sandy Denise Riedel, who worked at the restaurant on Premier Boulevard since October.

Riedel died from multiple cut and stab wounds inside the restaurant. Rouse was arrested three days later

The Roanoke Rapids Police Department has said there is evidence indicating a robbery motive because some money was apparently missing.

Rouse has a previous criminal record and was released from prison last May after he was convicted on Jan. 20, 2004, for attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Those offenses occurred on July 13, 2003, in Roanoke Rapids. They stem from an assault on Jefferson Street in which a victim was attacked by three to five people.

The victim was hit in the face by his assailants, who demanded money as he was stabbed in the legs. Witnesses scared the attackers away and Rouse was later arrested.

Rouse, a South Carolina native, is a member of the United Blood Nation and has the Blood symbol of three paw prints branded on his right shoulder.

Rouse was schedule to appear in Halifax County District Court today on the jail charge and Aug. 26 for the murder and robbery charges stemming from Riedel’s death.

Details: Lance Martin; News; 28 July 2009; 2076

Dylan Moore, the young Roanoke Valley area child with a rare genetic disorder, died Sunday. In a short journal entry on the Web site detailing the child’s struggles it is simply written: Dylan is gone.

The Web site is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dylanmoore

The child’s health was beginning to decline in the last few days. The last journal entry on July 24 notes, “The MRI revealed no blockages today so the docs are assuming that it’s GVH. Only way to tell for sure is to do a liver biopsy! Docs are not in agreement that he is stable enough for that. We’ll have to see how he progresses in the next few days and if he’s better, they may try to do it early next week.”

Moore was diagnosed with fanconi anemia, a very rare genetic disorder with a very high frequency of bone marrow failure and many other problems, in September of 2004.

Patients with FA have a 75 percent chance of developing solid tumors at unusually young ages, including head, neck, esophagus and squamous cell carcinomas, as well as liver tumors, according to the Web site.

The Web site says over the last few months, his bone marrow failure had progressed to severe, leaving him vulnerable to possible life threatening infections and internal hemorrhaging.

News of the child’s death prompted numerous signings on his guestbook, from both people locally and across the nation.

“Dylan has made me look at life in such a different perspective, he has made me realize that giving up is not an option, you have to fight, no matter how tough times get,” one entry said. “He is truly a hero to me. I will miss him dearly, and always remember what a strong, tough, kind, and loving boy he was.”

Details: Lance Martin; News; 27 July 2009; 1255

On Sunday the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christopher Edmonds, 22, of Roanoke Rapids for the theft of approximately $10,800 in cash from a residence off N.C. Highway 48 in Roanoke Rapids.

Detective Rich Somogyi said Edmonds was placed in the Halifax County Jail under a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 5.

Details: Lance Martin; News; 27 July 2009; 1618

A Roanoke Rapids area man has been arrested for a July 19 home invasion in the Edgewater subdivision, according to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office.

Detective Rich Somoygi said in a news release Terence Wyche, 18, was charged with first-degree burglary, larcency and possession of stolen property.

He was placed in the Halifax County Jail under a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9.

Somoygi said more arrests are pending in the case, which occurred around 11 p.m. Deputies responded to a break-in in progress at a residence located in the Edgewater Subdivision in Roanoke Rapids.

The homeowner was awakened when the door to his residence was kicked in and several suspects entered his home and began to steal items, including a firearm. The homeowner fired several gunshots at the suspects, who fled the residence. No one was injured.

Details: Lance Martin; News; 27 July 2009; 1518

The Roanoke Rapids Police Department made 66 charges during a Saturday night saturation patrol, Chief Jeff Hinton said.

Officers patrolled complaint areas across the city, the chief said.

Charges ranged from 17 loud music citations to one careless and reckless driving count. They also included two possession of marijuana counts and one concealed weapon charge.