Durham pair face 75 more charges in crime spree

Trey Preston Brown, 18, of 2002 Windgate Drive, and Scott Edward Eakes, 19, of 812 Chalk Level Road, were arrested June 20 after a search of a home turned up stolen weapons, a bullet-proof vest stolen from a Durham County deputy's patrol car and a stolen Honda motor scooter, police said.

On Thursday, investigators filed an additional 75 charges against each man for crimes including breaking and entering motor vehicles, larceny after breaking and entering, injury to property and conspiracy.

Police Chief Jose Lopez said June 20 that Brown and Eakes were affiliated with a local gang, but that it appeared the crime spree wasn't a gang-related activity.

One of the men told investigators the pair was simply bored and was looking for something to do.

Brown was originally charged with five counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, four counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, eight counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property and one count each of attempted armed robbery, simple assault and injury to personal property.

Eakes was originally charged with four counts each of aiding and abetting robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit armed robbery and one count each of assault by pointing a gun, possession of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of stolen property.

Those charges were linked to a Jan. 12 robbery on Watts Street and attempted robbery on Woodrow Street at Oval Drive, an April 27 theft on Iredell Street, May 21 robberies on Perry Street and Dacian Avenue at Watts Street, and a May 24 robbery on Ninth Street and a May 24 shooting into a McBenson Place home with eight people inside.

The charges filed Thursday were related to crimes on American Drive, White Pine Drive, 4600 block of University Drive, 4800 block of University Drive, Coachmans Way, Valley Forge Road and Larchmont Road.

Brown and Eakes were being held Thursday evening in the Durham County Jail on $2,550,000 million bond each.

Charges also were pending against the pair in connection with shooting at a Durham Area Transit Authority bus on March 6 near Northgate Mall, Lopez said.  More than a dozen people were on the bus at the time, but no injuries were reported.

Other law enforcement agencies also were looking at the two men as possible suspects in other unsolved crimes. Investigators said they think the pair might be linked to crimes outside Durham.

Both men have criminal records. Eakes has been convicted on stolen goods and weapons charges – police said he was on probation in Wake County at the time of his arrest – while Brown has been convicted on a drug charge.