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Home, several vehicles damaged in Wilson man's excavator rampage

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston-Riggs
Published August 10, 2023 at 6:36 AM EDT
A Cat 345C L Excavator, aka a big digging machine
Keith Romer
/
NPR
FILE: A Cat 345C L Excavator, aka a big digging machine

Wilson Police said a man was jailed after he went on a destructive rampage in a stolen excavator late Monday night.

The Wilson Police Department received several 911 calls about a bulldozer that was hitting vehicles and a home on Carolina Street just before midnight.

Officials say Vondell Locus was taken into custody without incident.

Investigators determined the excavator was stolen from a construction site near Lodge and Barnes Streets, and after the theft Locus damaged utility poles, a street light and a home between the construction site and Carolina Street.

Locus is charged with several crimes related to vehicle theft and property damage and was jailed on a $20,000 secured bond.
Annette Weston-Riggs
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. She has been involved in the media industry in eastern North Carolina for more than three years. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to ENC to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of toddler and baby cuddling, reading, designing costumes for children’s theater and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston-Riggs