Updated 2:40 p.m. Aug. 29
A third suspect faces charges in a car theft that led to a high speed chase, a wreck and two manhunts Sunday.
Kenyan Hayes, 18, of Montego Court, Wilmington, was released Saturday on a $1,000 unsecured bond, according to Columbus County Detention Center Reports. He was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. Two other suspects in the case, David Wayne Henry, 19, and Keko Kenya Somers-Williams, 18, remain in jail under $83,600 and $86,600 secured bonds.
Somers-Williams is charged with two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, multiple counts of resisting an officer, fleeing to elude arrest, no operator’s license, speeding, and multiple traffic offences. Henry is charged with aid and abet larceny, possession of a stolen vehicle, and two counts of resisting an officer.
Brandon Shope, a spokesman for Wilmington Police, said a woman called 911 after her purse and car were stolen at the Independence Boulevard Food Lion Saturday. The male suspect grabbed her purse and keys from a shopping cart and took her 2017 Nissan Murano from the parking lot. An alert was issued for the stolen car.
On Saturday, Trooper D. Anders of the Highway Patrol spotted the vehicle on U.S. 74 and attempted a traffic stop, according to warrants. Somers-Williams sped away from the traffic stop, Trooper Z. Faulk of the Highway Patrol said.
“When they took the exit onto N.C. 211, they lost control and crashed,” Faulk said.
Henry and Somers-Williams fled on foot into a wooded area. Hayes was arrested at the wreck. The car sustained minor damage.
Somers-Williams and Henry his in a wooded area for a period of time, Faulk said. They then carjacked a GMC Sierra truck from the Bolton Sam’s Pit Stop around 8 p.m., according to a sheriff’s report.
“The stolen vehicle only had about 20 miles until it was empty,” Faulk said.
A deputy responding to assist a Lake Waccamaw Police officer spotted the stolen truck at a gas station at the lake. When the deputy and a LWPD officer approached the men, they once fled on foot. Authorities called off a manhunt in a thickly wooded, swampy area just after midnight. Multiple agencies, including the Highway Patrol, LWPD, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, Wildlife Resources commission and drone teams from Whiteville and the Forest Service assisted in the hunt.
Law enforcement continued searching for the men the next day, responding to calls about suspicious individuals near the Hill’s Shopping Center. At one point, one of the suspects apparently attempted to purchase a vape at the tobacco and smoke shop, but was told to leave the store since he had no proof of age.
The suspects were spotted at the Speedymart Sunday afternoon by a Lake Waccamaw officer, Faulk said. Henry was arrested while sitting in a booth at the convenience store.
Somers-Williams fled on foot when police arrived at the store. He was later arrested after running into traffic on U.S. 74 and attempting to flag down drivers. He was spotted by an off-duty LWPD officer, and taken into custody.
