FAYETTEVILLE — U.S. Marshals have arrested an individual wanted by the Elizabethtown Police Department on several counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with a gang-related shooting in January.

According to Elizabethtown Police Chief Kip Hester, the shooting took place on Jan. 18 at about 4 p.m. in the Gill Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive area. He said officers conducted a search at the home of their main suspect — Meredicth Jaquan Cromartie — located on Fox Street in Elizabethtown, but he wasn’t there. Authorities seized an undisclosed amount of marijuana, scales, and other drug paraphernalia from the residence.

“After following up on multiple leads, Det. Jeff Guyton received information that Cromartie may be hiding out in another county,” Hester said. “Det. Guyton made contact with the U.S. Marshal Service and requested their assistance with locating Cromartie.”

On Wednesday, U.S. Marshals arrested Cromartie, 25, at a the Tobacco World convenience store on Raeford Road in Fayetteville at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Cromartie was turned over to the Elizabethtown Police Department and served with warrants for five counts of attempted first-degree murder, discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon, going armed to the terror of the people and discharging a weapon in the city limits.

Cromartie is being held in the Bladen County Jail under a $2.6 million bond.

According to Hester, Cromartie fired several shots from a semi-automatic handgun at Jeffery Lewis, a rival gang member. The shots instead hit a vehicle with four people in it, one of whom was an infant. Hester said that no one was injured.

“We have been working closely with the Bladen County District Attorney’s office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service to assure that violent offenders, such as Cromartie, are taken off the streets and incarcerated to keep our citizens safe,” Hester said.

W. Curt Vincent can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

Cromartie
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Meredith-Cromartie.jpgCromartie

W. Curt Vincent

cvincent@civitasmedia.com