More than 24 members of the Tuscarora Nation have been arrested following a raid on several illegal casinos in Robeson County.
A press release from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations says the arrests followed a “year-long multi-agency investigation that found the group operating three illegal casinos, an unlicensed police force, and a marijuana grow house.” The group was also “found to be manufacturing narcotics and making threats of war.”
According to the release, the casinos had illegal gambling machines in “blacked-out buildings with no clocks.” The casinos operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and had “heavily-armed security who were not only unlicensed, but using blue lights in their trucks.”
The casinos are located at 1345 Modest Road in Maxton, 129 Nancy Lane in Pembroke, and 1521 Opal Road in Red Springs.
Among those arrested are the Tuscarora Nation’s leader, Kendall Locklear, his son, Keaton, and those who worked at the casino, according to the release.
A list of those arrested from the NCSBI includes:
Kendall Locklear, 57
Dustin Ray Godwin, 30
Fredrick La Carl Hawkins, 45
Timmy Wayne Oxendine, 46
Jazmin Shiaynne Scott, 21
Selena Latchrisha Locklear, 20
Torri Alexis Locklear, 24
Kendrick Dean Locklear, 21
Elaina G. Locklear, 37
Timothy Bryan Jacobs, 49
Keaton Chamers Oxendine, 24
Billy Ray Oxendine, 48
Wedford Jones Jr., 43
Jeffery Wayne Ingram, 50
Miranda Jo Dial, 30
Jerry D. Oxendine, 59
Edith Oxendine, 55
Robert Michael Chavis, 62
Derena Kay Chavis, 52
Marcus Allen Bullard, 19
Tonya Nichole Collins, 37
Felicia Campbell, 47
Dustin Michael Warriax, 28
Edward Douglas Locklear, 33
Richard Earl Sampson, 44
Gloria Dial, 56
Jeremy Lee Jones, 44
“Citizens living near the casinos complained of the illegal activity taking place and notified law enforcement,” says Terrance Merriweather, the head of N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, the agency that executed the search warrants. “This group openly expressed beliefs that neither the laws of North Carolina nor the United States applied to them, putting law-abiding citizens in danger. We hope today’s arrests provide a safer community for them.”
“Most of the offenders arrested today were considered to be armed and dangerous and many have criminal records,” Robeson County Sheriff Kenneth Sealey says. “People living in those towns were scared of the activities taking place around the casinos. At the end of the day, this operation is all about community betterment.”
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives worked with the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement in the operation. Several other departments assisted in the arrests including: Lumberton Police Department, Maxton Police Department, Red Springs Police Department, N.C. National Guard, Virginia National Guard, campus police from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the Department of Public Safety K-9 Unit, and the Division of Motor Vehicle License and Theft Bureau.
Count on News13 and wbtw.com to provide updates as they become available.
