Suspect swims into Intracoastal Waterway after stolen vehicle pursuit, deputies say
PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A 19-year-old wanted in Virginia was arrested in Pender County after deputies say a stolen vehicle pursuit led to a crash and an extensive search that included drones, boats and K9 teams.
According to the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Criminal Investigations Division detectives responded to Pelican Walk in Hampstead on Sept. 24 regarding a stolen vehicle.
Deputies located the vehicle and contacted a man who told them he had borrowed it, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The man then allegedly ran from deputies before eventually returning to the stolen vehicle and driving away.
The Sheriff’s Office said the suspect drove through yards and off-road areas before wrecking near Ballast Point Road and Sloop Point Road.
Residents later reported seeing a man matching the suspect’s description swimming in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Deputies deployed drones, boats and K9 teams as multiple agencies joined the search. After an extensive search of the Virginia Creek area, deputies located 19-year-old Lorenzo Claiborne in a marsh and took him into custody.
North Topsail Elementary School was placed on a soft lockdown as a precaution because of the search and large law enforcement presence. The Sheriff’s Office said the school’s resource officer monitored the situation throughout the incident.
Claiborne faces charges including possession of a stolen motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, felony fleeing to elude, resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct involving a school and driving without an operator’s license.
The Sheriff’s Office said Claiborne is also wanted in Prince George, Virginia, on an abduction by force charge involving a juvenile.
He is being held in the Pender County Jail without bond pending extradition, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Pender County Fire Department, Pender EMS, Surf City Police Department, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and Surf City Fire Department assisted during the incident.
