North Carolina Homicide Suspects Found In Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, RI — Two suspects in a North Carolina homicide were arrested in Middletown Sunday, said Chief of Police William Kewer in a news release Monday.

Police say a patrol officer ran a registration check on a suspicious vehicle occupied by two men and located at a West Main Road business at approximately 10:30 a.m. Although the check did not reveal anything suspicious, the officer received a notification several hours later that the car was stolen from North Carolina and the occupants were wanted in connection to a Harnett County homicide.

Officers relocated the vehicle at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn, said police. The hotel was placed under surveillance until warrants were obtained.

Around 7 p.m., one of the suspects, identified as Tommy Jackson, 23, of Sanford, North Carolina, left the hotel with a woman in a black Hyundai Elantra. Police say they pulled the vehicle over, took Jackson into custody, and seized a handgun. The woman was questioned and released.

At approximately 7:45 p.m., police executed a search warrant at the hotel and took the second suspect, identified as Jesse Richardson, 26, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, into custody. Police say he is facing charges including being a fugitive from justice and possessing a stolen motor vehicle.

Both men were scheduled to be arraigned Monday before they are extradited back to North Carolina.