UPDATE: Ca’Marion LaMonte Nickerson turned himself into the Orange County Magistrate’s Office on Monday, Mar 10. He will be held under the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice until he turns 18, at which point he will be turned over to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center. Nickerson is being charged with two felonies, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and kidnapping. He is also charged with three misdemeanors, including domestic violence, assault on a female, and injury to personal property.
Below is the original story on Nickerson’s charges.
One week after an alleged domestic violence incident involving gunfire, law enforcement are still searching for a 17-year-old suspect — and are now turning to the public for assistance.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office shared an update Friday morning naming Ca’Marion LaMonte Nickerson as the suspect facing felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and kidnapping charges, stemming from an incident reported in Chapel Hill. Nickerson, who is described as 5-foot-8 and as having ties to both the Orange and Durham County area, is sought by sheriff’s investigators and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.
North Carolina law protects juveniles from being tried as adults, but one exemption is if a 16- or 17-year-old suspect is facing a felony offense. While law enforcement initially withheld Nickerson’s identity, Friday’s release said the severity of his charges and him still being at-large led them to publicly name him. In addition to the two Class E felonies, investigators also took out three misdemeanor warrants for Nickerson’s arrest on domestic violence, assault on a female, and injury to personal property.
Ca’Marion LaMonte Nickerson, 17. (Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.)
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office shared details of the incident and search on its Facebook page the evening of Feb. 28. Chapel Hill Police officers and sheriff’s deputies responded to the 100 block of Dragonfly Trail near Old Lystra Road — which is between the Governors Club and Southern Village communities — around 11 a.m. on Feb. 27 after reports of a domestic disturbance. Law enforcement later learned from the victim and witnesses that a couple were arguing outside and when the woman attempted to leave, the 17-year-old male tried to stop her. The sheriff’s office said when the woman refused, the suspect went inside a house, retrieved a weapon, and allegedly fired several shots at her before going back inside the residence.
Law enforcement later realized the suspect escaped from the residence after calling for assistance from nearby agencies and using tactics such as deploying a Bearcat Armored Transport Unit from the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office to enter the residence after obtaining a search warrant. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies determined Nickerson likely fled the scene before law enforcement units were able to establish a perimeter.
A photo of an Alamance Sheriff’s Office Bearcat Armored Transport Unit, like the one used Thursday in Chapel Hill. (Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.)
“We appreciate the cooperation of our law enforcement partners,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the Facebook message, “and we are thankful Alamance County lent their armored vehicle and interior drone to assist with operations yesterday. Both pieces of equipment proved invaluable to protect the safety of uninvolved parties, responding law enforcement officers, and the suspected offender.”
Friday’s update from the sheriff’s office encouraged anyone with information on Nickerson’s whereabouts or movements to call the Criminal Investigation Division of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 919-245-2905.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated from its original Feb. 28 version, as Nickerson has since turned himself in to authorities.
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