Sheriff: Deputy stabbed, manhunt underway in Vanceboro for suspect accused of killing his grandmother in Havelock
VANCEBORO, N.C. (WITN) – Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes says one of his deputies was stabbed in a confrontation Wednesday night with a suspect wanted for killing his grandmother.
That search is underway in the Vanceboro area.
We’re told authorities are looking for 24-year-old Dominic Connelly.
Hughes says around 8:45 p.m. his deputy was stabbed in the leg after confronting and struggling with Connelly inside of a fast-food restaurant at 380 Highway 43. Connelly then ran away from the scene, the sheriff says.
A command post has been set up in the town with K-9s, drones, and multiple agencies working to find Connelly.
It was this past Saturday that Patricia Lopedote was found dead inside her home on Highway 101 outside of Havelock after authorities responded to a fire at the home.
Dominic Connelly(Craven County Sheriff’s Office)
The 72-year-old woman was Connelly’s grandmother, according to deputies.
The woman’s missing vehicle was found Monday in a parking lot on Pine Tree Drive in New Bern near the baseball fields.
The man is wanted for murder, first-degree arson, and larceny of a motor vehicle.
Deputies warn that anyone assisting Connelly will face criminal charges.
If you have information on Connelly, you should call the Craven County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 636-6620 or Craven County Communications at (252) 633-2357
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