Two Roanoke Rapids men have been charged in a scheme to steal and sell junked cars belonging to an elderly victim.

One of the people arrested was a family member of the victim, according to Detective J. Puhak of the Halifax County Sheriff's Office.

On June 12 the victim, with assistance from the family member who was arrested, reported that an older, non-working vehicle had been stolen from his property in the Roanoke Rapids area.

After taking the report, Deputy D. Radford began the investigation by conducting a canvas of the area and interviewing several witnesses.

Four days later Radford was dispatched to the Highway 48 and Smith Church Road area about a suspicious vehicle.

Cain

While in the area Radford discovered Raymond Bruce Cain. That meeting led to additional investigation which allegedly showed that Cain and Bernard Lynn Harris, who helped the victim take the report, had entered into an agreement to illegally sell and scrap vehicles off the victim's property. “Through the efforts of Deputy Radford, Corporal M. Almendarez and the (sheriff's office) Narcotics Unit the pair was unable to steal another vehicle,” Puhak said in a press release.

Cain was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and two counts of felony conspiracy. He was given a court date of July 26 with a $5,000 bond.

Harris was charged with exploitation of an elderly person’s trust, larceny of a motor vehicle, two counts of felony conspiracy and filing a false report to a police station. His bond was $12,000 and he has the same court date as Cain.