Person of interest in Paitin Field’s murder pleads guilty to unrelated charges

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The man considered a person of interest in the murder of a five-year-old Pender County girl pleaded guilty this week to intimidating a witness.

David Wesley Prevatte, 20, of Willard, threatened the lead detective investigating the murder of Paitin Fields.

While Prevatte was being held in the Pender County Jail for unrelated charges, he made a phone call to his mother that was being recorded. In that call, he threatened to “end” Pender County Sheriff’s Detective John Leatherwood. Detective Leatherwood is the lead detective investigating the murder of Prevatte’s niece, Paitin.

On March 25, 2018, Prevatte broke into a neighbor’s house and stole a laptop computer that was subsequently pawned at a local pawn shop. On April 8, 2018, Prevatte got into an argument with his ex-girlfriend and burned a camper trailer that was being refurbished as a home.

Prevatte, 20, of Willard, pleaded guilty on Monday to intimidating a witness, breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and burning a building under construction.

He was sentenced to at least 13 months in prison, followed by another 5-15 months. After he is released, he will have a 5-15 months suspended sentence and two years of supervised probation.