Two Charged With Break-In At Iredell Business: Police

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — Two men have been charged with larceny and related offenses after they were arrested last week during an investigation triggered by the discovery of a stolen U-Haul truck, according to Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell. In the early hours of Tuesday, July 16, sheriff's deputies found the truck on a shoulder of Wilkesboro Highway, which led to a search by more deputies, detectives, police dogs and a drone.

Robert Vaughn Pippin, 24, of Taylorsville was charged with attempted felony larceny, first-degree trespass and injury to personal property, the Iredell sheriff's office said. He was issued a $7,500 secured bond by a magistrate.

Justin Dennis Lynch, 25, of Conover, also was charged with attempted felony larceny, first-degree trespass and injury to personal property, the sheriff's office said. He was issued a $5,000 bond.

Other charges are pending against Lynch, including two counts of felony possession of stolen property in Catawba County, for which he received a bond of $8,000.

Lynch also had a warrant in Catawba for failure to appear in court on charges of felony larceny, first-degree trespass and injury to personal property. The bond was pre-set by a judge for $14,000, the sheriff's office said.

In addition, Lynch had another failure to appear in court warrant from Burke County for felony larceny with a pre-set bond of $20,000 set by a judge.

Early Morning Search

The incident began when a concerned citizen, driving at around 3 a.m. Tuesday on Wilkesboro Highway, saw a U-Haul truck parked on the side of the road in the 3400 block of the highway, said Campbell, the Iredell sheriff, in a statement released Thursday.

Deputies were dispatched to the area and found a lock that had been cut off at a gate to a nearby business. They found other locks cut to equipment on the firm's display lot, "and it appeared someone was trying to steal the property," the sheriff said.

The deputies searched the area further and found a tandem-axle U-Haul trailer, sitting on the shoulder of Snow Creek Road. Both the truck and trailer were stolen from a U-Haul lot in Hickory, the sheriff said.

The deputies, detectives, canine units and a UAV searched other businesses in the area and the surrounding woods for several hours. They found several pieces of evidence in the woods, along with a surveillance video from a local business that showed one of the suspects driving the stolen truck, the sheriff said.

The police also learned that Pippin and Lynch had stopped at a convenience store on Sullivan Road to buy gas and a drink earlier in the morning, according to Campbell.

Based on the evidence gathered in Iredell County, sheriff's deputies in Alexander County arrested Pippin and turned him over to the Iredell sheriff's office.

In addition, Iredell sheriff's detectives, with the help of Hickory police, tracked down Lynch at a Red Roof Inn in Hickory and arrested him, Campbell said.