Grand Jury Indicts Sex, Assaults, Firearm Cases
21st November 2008
The Harnett County Grand Jury has indicted a Dunn man in connection with the prostitution of a 13-year-old girl.
The indictment came during this month's grand jury session, which also included indictments for a transvestite assault, a murder and manufacture of methamphetamine.
In the underage prostitution case, Patrick Leon Gatlin, 23, of North McKay Ave. was indicted on charges of promoting the prostitution of a minor and participation in the prostitution of a minor by solicitation.
According to the indictment, on or about July 23, Mr. Gatlin, "willfully and feloniously did promote and entice and force and encourage and facilitate" the prostitution of the girl.
The indictment also said Mr. Gatlin allegedly solicited the girl to have sex with him.
Mr. Gatlin was also indicted in a separate action by the jury for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for an Aug. 7 incident. He was originally charged after a neighbor reported he was outside her residence allegedly shooting a rifle.
Indictment Of Assault
The grand jury also indicted a Dunn man in what has been an unusual case of assault.
Thomas Edwin Walden, 28, of Wrangler Lane in Dunn was arrested in June after he allegedly attacked and stabbed the former night manager of Dunn's Red Carpet Inn.
The attack came after the manager, Melissa Scarborough, saw Mr. Walden, dressed as a woman, apparently attempting to solicit a couple after they checked into the hotel.
Ms. Scarborough said Mr. Walden refused to leave the property when asked and then allegedly hit her in the face with a portable CD player and stabbed her in the chest with a 4-inch steak knife.
Ms. Scarborough led police to Mr. Walden after he left the property by following him in her car.
Originally charged by Dunn police with misdemeanor charges of assault with a deadly weapon, trespassing and assault on a female, the grand jury indicted Mr. Walden on the more serious felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
He was also indicted on charges of assault on a female and second-degree trespassing.
A Fuquay-Varina woman was also indicted for murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the March 31 shooting of her live-in boyfriend, Billy Ray Williams, 65.
According to news reports from the time, Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins said Ms. McCoy admitted to having pulled the trigger of the .22 caliber revolver allegedly used to kill her boyfriend during an argument.
In another indictment, a heretofore unknown third suspect was arrested in connection with an April meth lab bust at a house on Ashe Avenue in Dunn.
Dennis Ray Jones Jr., 29, no address given, was indicted on one charge of manufacturing methamphetamine.
A resident of the home, Heather Lynn Williams, 22, was the only suspect arrested when sheriff's deputies responded to a home at 3603 Ashe Ave. based on neighbors' complaints of drug activity.
A second man, Jonathan Boyd Miller, 26, of Raven Lane in Spring Lake, allegedly jumped out the window and fled the scene, but was arrested a few days later after he was involved in - and ran from - an accident that seriously injured the car's 15-year-old passenger.
It was not clear as of press time this morning the relationship Mr. Jones had with the other two defendants in the case or his level of involvement.
Source: My Daily Record