Suspect wanted for multiple felony charges

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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Of the two suspects who surrendered to law enforcement in Farmville Sept. 9 after a brief pursuit, one was not charged and the other was arrested and wanted for multiple felony charges.

A Farmville Police Department (FPD) press release stated the brief pursuit took place on West Third Street in Farmville. One of the suspects, Christopher G. Roberts, 49, of Canton, Georgia, in a vehicle stolen out of North Carolina, had earlier fled from police in Blackstone. The pursuit ended with the suspect abandoning the vehicle off of Industrial Park Road, in Prince Edward County, and fleeing into the woods on foot.

Roberts and Kayla Shell, 29, of Seneca, South Carolina, who was with Roberts for at least part of the pursuit, surrendered themselves to law enforcement without further incident.

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Farmville Police Chief Andy Ellington said Sept. 16 that Shell was not charged by his department, though due to miscommunication, it was reported that Shell was wanted in North Carolina and that she would be held in custody at Piedmont Regional Jail (PRJ). A photo of her was also sent to The Herald.

“She was never seen as the driver of the vehicle, therefore we couldn’t charge her,” Ellington said. “We anticipated there were going to be charges, but after I gave (The Herald) that photo, there was nothing there that the magistrate would issue a warrant against her for.”

She was never held at PRJ.

Ellington noted Sept. 16 that Shell could still face charges, though.

“She’s subject to still being charged for the theft of the motor vehicle out of North Carolina,” he said.

As of Sept. 16, Roberts had not yet been charged for the theft of the motor vehicle out of North Carolina, Ellington stated.

“He is wanted for charges out of South Carolina and Georgia,” the chief also said Sept. 16. “They’re waiting to serve their warrants for extradition.”

Roberts, according to the FPD Sept. 10 press release, was taken into custody Sept. 9 and charged with felony eluding law enforcement. He was also served with a felony warrant for eluding out of Nottoway County and was awaiting extradition to Cherokee County, Georgia, for multiple felony charges in that jurisdiction.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jay Baker, who is the office’s director of communications and community relations, said Sept. 22 that the office had an outstanding warrant for Roberts for violation of the Georgia sex offender registry — Roberts had failed to register as a sex offender.

“We have no charges for the female that was with him at the time of his arrest,” Baker said, referring to Shell.

Glenda Rector, the deputy clerk of Cherokee County Superior Court, said Wednesday, Sept. 23, that in a preliminary case, Roberts is also facing two counts of terroristic threats, which are felonies.

The Sept. 10 FPD release stated Roberts was being held at PRJ without bond, and additional charges were pending.