Pender County suspect turns self in after seeing sketch of himself

A man turned himself in to Pender County law enforcement Tuesday after seeing a sketch of his face.

A witness described a man he saw breaking into a home in Hampstead to a sketch artist. The Pender County Sheriff’s Office released the sketch to the media and several people called in to identify him.

Pender County detective Scott Lawson said one of those callers was 19-year-old Justin Akins, who saw the sketch of himself on the Star News website.

“Mr. Akins saw the sketch of himself, recognized it as being him, called and said he wanted to turn himself in for breaking into the house,” Detective Lawson said.

Akins is being held at the Pender County Jail under a $10,000 secured bond.