Elderly Couple Beaten During Violent Home Invasion In Johnston County
Crime Spree Ends in Arrest
FOUR OAKS — An elderly Johnston County couple was seriously injured Wednesday after a man allegedly forced entry into their home and beat them during a series of crimes that included two home invasions, attempted vehicle thefts, and a foot pursuit, authorities said.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said the incidents began Wednesday morning at Ronnie’s BP convenience store at the intersection of U.S. 701 and Interstate 95 in Four Oaks. Four Oaks police responded to a complaint of a man loitering and refusing to leave the business. The man was identified as Thomas Lee Wright, 39, of Wendell.
Wright had recently been staying near the convenience store. Police trespassed him from the business and he left the property on foot.
Later Wednesday morning, at approximately 10:50 a.m., deputies said Wright forcibly entered a home in the 2000 block of Devil’s Racetrack Road, where he assaulted an 81-year-old man and his 74-year-old wife. Deputies said both victims were struck about the face and body and suffered serious injuries. One of the victims called 911 and then contacted a nearby relative, advising them to be on the lookout for the suspect, who had fled the residence on foot.
Wright forcibly entered a second nearby home occupied by an elderly woman. The woman told deputies the suspect spoke, but she was unable to understand what he said before leaving the residence. She was not injured.
Around that time, a relative of the first victims located Wright on Devil’s Racetrack Road and discharged a handgun in an attempt to scare him, but not in his direction, deputies said.
As a deputy arrived in the area, Wright observed the patrol vehicle and fled on foot. After a foot pursuit, Wright was taken into custody without further incident.
During the crime spree, Wright broke into two vehicles in an attempt to steal them but was unsuccessful.
Deputies said Wright is also believed to be the individual reported earlier Wednesday for slapping at passing vehicles as he walked along Devil’s Racetrack Road.
The extent of the elderly couple’s injuries has not been released, but deputies described their injuries as serious. Two Johnston County EMS units responded to transport the couple to WakeMed in Raleigh for treatment.
The victim of the second home invasion was not injured.
Wright was charged with multiple felony offenses, including two counts of breaking and entering with intent to terrorize or injure, two counts of assault inflicting serious bodily injury, and two counts of attempted felony larceny related to the attempted vehicle thefts.
Authorities said the home invasions appeared to be random and that none of the three victims knew Wright.
According to court records, Wright has prior convictions for domestic-related assault on a female in Wake County in 2013 and 2021, as well as indecent exposure in Johnston County in 2020.
Court records indicate Wright works as a delivery driver and had recently been living out of his vehicle.
Wright was booked into the Johnston County Detention Center Wednesday afternoon.
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This story has been updated
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They live down the road from my granny. Praying for the victims and their family! Thank you God they are above the ground and not beneath. Beautiful people too don’t bother nobody. It’s some sad people in this world man!
The relative of the first victims should have shot him and put him out of his misery! If he beat my parents like that I would have!
Agree
Yep
NO BOND and any judge who would authorize it is corrupt!
Then you would like to throw out the Constitution. We can’t pick and choose which constitutional rights we should have. It’s either all of them or none of them. I agree that he should be sent to prison for the rest of his life.
Bond/Bail is not a Constitutional right it will not be excessive under the Eighth amendment but it is a qualified right. A judge can deny bond/bail based on Flight Risk or for suspects that are deemed dangerous. His charges deem him as a dangerous suspect, that is enough for no Bond/bail.
Thomas Wright is an absolute waste of human life to do this to an innocent elderly couple, relative had the Right to defend them regardless if he was then off the property should’ve aimed toward him, ol steve would’ve understood
You don’t want to know what i think should be done to him,beating up older folks shows you he’s a lowlife creep
Sad times we live in. Pray for their quick recovery.
All that wasted time and effort on deportations, while citizen criminals like this contine to make up more than 90% of all violent crimes…. but the sheep are till to focus on the border. #sheepSayBaa
Yes but those 90 percent are supposed to be here. By your data we could cut crime rates 10 percent by not letting illegals in. Then we would have more personnel to focus on the 90. That and liberal judges not letting criminals back on the street. But the sheep are to focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, blm, defund the police, free healthcare, universal income, no borders, taxation, killing babies etc etc etc. I also find it interesting that you didn’t express any sympathy or care about the victims. Typical sheep.
@Jonathan: Instead of sending the National Guard to the Texas border, imagine if we had armed troops on street corners in Four Oaks. I bet the victims would be much happier. But Snowflakes like you would rather chase headlines than actual criminals.
Oh my could you imagine the outrage and protest by the libtards if armed national guardsman were on the streets of four oaks? I mean they protest when ICE is forced to take to the streets to recapture illegal immigrate criminals in Sanctuary cities and states. Here in Joco we cooperate and let ice know when there are criminals in our jail that are illegal and then they either come get them or not based on their history. It’s a lot easier that way than just letting them all out and forcing ICE to go find them in the mist of all the agitators.
Not sure why you’re calling me a snowflake you seem to be the one who wants to let illegals in the country. In fact, Trump sent the National Guard into many cities and states, and most of the Democrat mayors and governors filed lawsuits to kick them out. If you were so concerned about Crime and criminals roaming the streets, maybe you should tell your libtard judges to keep them locked up instead of letting them loose.
Well said sir.
Well said thank you
Life is not as Black & White as you portray. Let’s keep the good and deal with the bad. But you’re showing simplistic political bias.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Deportations are necessary and should have been started like this decades ago. We don’t know the actual stats because not every jurisdiction accounts for citizenship status. They don’t want to hand over to ICE. Democrat cities and towns.
Yes
Apparently action by judges giving lower bonds is associated with limited jail space and funds to house the pretrial and later on the convicted offenders. Just imagine how many more funds can be freed up if not for illegal border jumpers being need based supported the very same or better as a retired citizen of this great nation is. Think of the funds saved not having to catch and deport. So when we hear county jails and prisions are overrun….think about what illegals impact has on inocent citizens and violent offenders that arent being held till trial and the convicted are released early.
Our jails and prisons are too crowded because people raise holy cane if their propert y taxes increase, but it’s local and state money that covers detention facilities, not federal.
Johnston county is getting so metropolitan with all of this growth.
My question is who is he a delivery driver for! I don’t want to order anything that he could deliver!
Amen!