A 97 year-old man and his 86 year-old wife were the victims of a second home invasion in just over a year. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office says both incidents appear to be random.
Around 2:50am Saturday, the elderly couple was asleep in the bed of their home on Galilee Road off Highway 210 near Smithfield when they heard banging on their door and then the door bell rang. The woman retrieved a firearm but the suspect apparently never went past the front door.
Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Don Pate said a hole was discovered in the floor near the front door and a bullet casing nearby. Authorities believe the suspect may have accidentally discharged a weapon while trying to make entry then fled. The victims never fired any shots.
The same couple were the victims of an armed home invasion in June 2016. A suspect kicked in the front door, pointed a gun at the couple and began yelling. The elderly woman retrieved a gun and tried unsuccessfully to fire the weapon. The intruder then ran away on foot. A man with a similar description as the suspect had gone to the couple’s home a day earlier asking to use the telephone. The man left without any incident, however the couple said she was uneasy about the individual.
The 2016 home invasion was one of 4 home invasions or robberies reported in the Highway 210 – Galilee Road area between March and September 2016. No arrests were ever.
Lt. Pate said investigators are working with Smithfield Police to see if a 52 year-old man arrested Sundaymorning for a home invasion in South Smithfield may be connected with Saturday’s incident on Galilee Road.
Jose Campuzano Remirez, 52, of the 4000 block of US 301 South, Smithfield allegedly tried to rape an 89 year-old woman inside the home but she fought off her attacker. The victim and suspect did not know one another. Remirez is being held in jail under a $1 million bond.
