Six Arrested on Drug and Gun Charges at Local Red Roof Inn

An altercation at the Red Roof Inn on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard earlier this week resulted in six drug-related arrests and the seizure of a stolen weapon.

According to Capt. Joshua Mecimore of the Chapel Hill Police Department, peace officers responded to a call from an assault victim at the local hotel on Tuesday.

“There was a fight inside one of the rooms – a disturbance of some sort – and the victim in that notified police that she’d been assaulted,” he reported. “When we responded, officers immediately smelled a strong odor of marijuana from the room and then established that there were drugs that appeared to be packaged for sale.”

Arrest reports allege that three felons – two of whom are minors – were found to be in possession of two firearms, one of which Mecimore described as stolen.

“They were charged with a possession of a weapon by a felon,” he specified. “There were a handful that were under 21 that are not allowed to legally possess a handgun, and so they were charged with possession of a weapon by a minor.”

Along with those felons, three other suspects – two of whom are minors – were arrested on marijuana and weapons possession charges.

The reports also identify all suspects as residents of Durham County, with their bookings having taken place at the Durham County Jail on Tuesday afternoon.

Mecimore relayed that investigators may find a link between the assault victim and the suspects due to the fact that the victim refused to press charges.

“The victim of the assault didn’t wish to press charges, so this is still an ongoing investigation,” he explained. “It may be that if we discover that they were in a relationship or previously had been in a relationship, then it’s a [domestic violence] situation where the state requires us to charge them.”

The three felon suspects in this case – Taijay D. Surles, Irease D. Jeffrey and Montre J. Cates – received secured bonds of $100,000 from the Durham County Magistrate.

The two non-felon minors were given secured bonds of $5,000 along with Stephanie S. Conrad, a non-felon adult who received a bond of $15,000.

Images from Chapel Hill Police Department.