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Drug thief armed with 20-gauge shotgun robs Caroline County paraplegic Date published: 3/20/2008
BY ELLEN BILTZ
It was about 4:30 a.m. yesterday morning when Robert Newcomb's front door was kicked in. The loud noise woke him up, so he yelled, "Who's in my house?" The response "scared him to death." With a few expletives thrown in, the 42-year-old was told to stay where he was. Newcomb, a paraplegic, soon realized what the intruder was looking for: prescription drugs. The robber made his way through the mobile home, located in the Cedar Ridge Mobile Home Park in Woodford, near Corbin. He then came into Newcomb's bedroom, which was lit only by the TV. "He pointed the sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun at me and he asked for my pain medication," Newcomb said. "Then he demanded oxycontin." The drug thief, as described by Newcomb, was a 20-something-year-old, tall, skinny, pale-skinned white male with baby blue eyes and "scroungy" eyebrows. He was wearing a bandanna on his head and another on his face. Newcomb said he knew the drugs he was prescribed weren't what the stranger was looking for. "He said, if you don't give me what I want, I'm going to blow your [expletive] brains out," Newcomb said. When the masked man was told he wouldn't find oxycontin in the house, he grabbed a box of drugs sitting next to Newcomb's wheelchair, then fled. Newcomb called 911. ROUND TWO About 10 minutes later, Newcomb had gotten into his wheelchair and his roommate was awake and talking to him. They were waiting on police to arrive when the gun-wielding man returned looking for more, he said. "He had enough time to realize the box didn't have anything he wanted," Newcomb said. Newcomb had more prescription drugs in a dresser drawer, which the man went through. From his wheelchair, Newcomb said he tried to distract the thief. "I was trying to delay him in time for the law to get there," he said. Maj. Scott Moser of the Caroline County Sheriff's Office said the first officer arrived 20 minutes after the call to 911. PREMEDITATED? The man who kicked open the door, knew he'd find drugs, Newcomb said. In the last week, he said, two teenagers have come by asking to buy prescription drugs from him. Though he declined both times, he said he thinks the fact that he's in a wheelchair assures people that he has medication. Newcomb was able to call CVS Pharmacy, who then contacted his insurance company and his prescriptions will be refilled. But he still has to pay for them and he doesn't have the money to afford the refills right now. Newcomb said not only is he worried about the drugs that were already stolen, but also about the robber's return. "I'm just thankful my kids weren't here," he said. He has visitation with his 3- and 4-year-olds every other weekend. Moser said the police are already looking into leads and anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 804/633-1133. "I know he's going to come back eventually if he's not caught," Newcomb said. Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Picture this: Operator "911 what is your emergency" Caller "Someone just killed my neighbor." Operator "oh so he is dead" Caller "yes" Operator "is the person that killed them still there" Caller "no" Operator "well dumb*** this is not an emergency so we will get there when we can, bye" Are you getting the picture yet despite whether the person is gone or not it is still an emergency. In fact in this case after 911 was called the guy came back.
they said he called 911 AFTER the guy left.. it's not an emergency anymore.
I would definitely buy a gun and learn to use it well. A 20 minute wait on a 911 call is absurd. My elderly mother lives in the County and she would be dead from fear in that length of time. At least neighbors usually look out for neighbors in her community. I don't think the Sheriff's Office is going to have to look far for the thieves...hopefully they can get it together to catch them very soon.
TxBe2God you bring up a great point. The tax base is smaller and for that some services most would expect are cut or limited. Caroline is a rural area and there must be some expectation of living in an area that large with limited public safety, that the time may come when there is a delayed response because of lack of manpower. I am not sure the FLS should have printed that, how important was it for us to know that? But hey what else would you expect from our hometown newspaper!!
and had to call 911 once. My front door was open when I arrived home from work. In less than 3 minutes from my placing the 911 call from my cell phone a deputy was in my driveway. However, Caroline is a large county with a small deputy force and unfortunately for us residents something like a "longer" response time could and does happen. It comes back to the fact that you get what you are willing to pay for. A small tax base, limited "benifits". Are Caroline residents willing to step up and pay more?
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