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Tag: Johnston County Sheriff's Office

  • Wendell man held without bond after alleged Johnston County home invasion and assault of couple

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    A Wendell man accused of breaking into a Four Oaks home
    and assaulting a couple appeared in court Friday.

    A judge ordered that Thomas Wright be held without bond at the Johnston County Detention Center. Before Friday, Wright had a
    $250,000 bond.

    Wright, 39, is charged with:

    • Two counts of felony breaking and entering to terrorize or injure
    • Two counts of assault with serious bodily injury
    • Two counts of attempted larceny

    A court document states Wright assaulted 74-year-old Teresa
    Rhodes and 81-year-old James Rhodes who were living in the home along Devils Race Track
    Road north of Stewart Road in Four Oaks. He is accused of hitting both in the face. Both the
    woman and man received treatment at the hospital, according to the document.

    Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller said it’s the
    state’s intent to upgrade the charges to two counts of burglary, which he said
    are more serious charges as Class D felonies.

    Waller said during the daytime on New Year’s Eve, Wright was
    trespassing in Ronnie’s Country Store.

    “Mr. Wright then proceeded down Devils Racetrack Road where
    he came into contact with the Rhodes family,” Waller said. “James Rhodes will
    tell you he was outside, he heard his dogs barking, at that point he saw this
    individual, Mr. Wright [went] to his screen door, started yanking on it, and
    then he kicked in the screen door, at which time, James [Rhodes] followed Mr. Wright
    inside, and saw Mr. Wright assault his wife, Teresa, then ransacked the home
    and started to assault Mr. Rhodes, himself.”

    Waller said Wright then tried entering a neighbor’s house.
    However, Waller said the neighbor was able to stop him.

    Wright is also accused of trying to steal a 2016 Honda CRV
    and a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze, according to the court documents.

    According to Waller, a family member of the Rhodes saw
    Wright walking down the street and detained him until law enforcement arrived.

    Teresa Rhodes is still in ICU at WakeMed, according to Waller.

    “She has a broken eye socket, a concussion, a CT scan showed
    multiple brain bleeding, hematoma and suspected eye damage,” Waller said.

    James Rhodes was discharged from ICU on New Year’s Day,
    Waller said.

    “He suffered a broken nose, a broken eye socket, laceration
    to his ear, trace bleeding in his brain, multiple hematomas, and he had just
    had open heart surgery,” Waller said.

    Waller said Wright had three prior convictions, two of which
    are assaults and an indecent exposure charge.

    “Having your house broken into on New Year’s Day on broad
    daylight and being assaulted certainly shows that someone is a danger to the
    public,” Waller said.

    Wright is due in court again on Jan. 22.

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  • New evidence reveals fifth child dead in Johnston County murder case

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    New warrants released Monday reveal the Zebulon father accused of murdering his four children had a fifth child, whom he buried behind the family’s home. 

    Wellington Dickens III is facing multiple counts of first-degree murder. He was arrested in October, after calling 911 and telling the dispatcher he’d killed the children through a combination of neglect and over-discipline. 

    The warrants released Monday say Dickens and his wife also had a fifth child, named Riley, who died shortly after the family moved into the Zebulon home. Court records show Dickens took possession of the home in May 2023. 

    Dickens told investigators that Riley was about a month old when the child’s health began to decline. It’s not clear how Riley died. 

    After the child died, Dickens said he wrapped the body in paper or plastic material and buried the child in a four-foot-deep unmarked grave in a wooded area behind the home. Investigators said Riley’s death was never reported in any capacity. 

    Family members told investigators they had never seen, heard from or about Riley once the family moved.

    Investigators have been searching for Riley’s grave, but so far, they have not found any signs of the baby’s body.

    Neighbors told WRAL News that sheriff’s deputies and members of the State Bureau of Investigation have visited the home multiple times since Dickens was arrested. That includes one visit on October 31, when a video shared by neighbors shows Dickens himself leading investigators across the property. In the video, Dickens is wearing an orange and white jumpsuit and has his hands and feet shackled. 

    Listen to the 911 call: Johnston County dad tells dispatcher he killed his four children

    He told dispatchers he did not use a knife or gun to kill the children. According to arrest warrants, he over-disciplined them and wanted to turn himself in.

    The warrants also revealed the order in which the other children died.

    According to investigators, Dickens said his 5-year-old daughter, Leah Dickens, was the first to die. He said he had disciplined her, and after returning to her room to check on her, she was dead.

    Dickens said his 9-year-old daughter, Zoe Dickens, was the next child to die. According to warrants, Dickens told investigators that Zoe began asking about her sister. Dickens admitted to investigators that he taped her mouth shut to discipline her, and when he returned to check on her, she was also dead.

    Dickens told investigators his 10-year-old son, Wellington Dickens IV, was the third child to die. According to arrest warrants, Dickens said he was teaching the boy how to box. He said the boy had stopped eating, and his father believed he died from malnutrition.

    The fourth child to die was his 18-year-old stepson, Sean Brasfield, who he believed also died from malnutrition.

    Warrants also revealed that much of the inside of Dickens’ home had recently been repainted. These warrants say Dickens had also been searching Amazon for a type of paint capable of covering up stains.

    Investigators now want to bring in chemicals that could reveal bloodstains under that paint.

    The investigation is still active and ongoing.

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  • ‘It’s my fault’: Zebulon dad says he killed his 4 children in newly released 911 call

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    Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said Tuesday that Wellington Delano Dickens III, who is charged with killing three of his children and a stepson, committed the crimes over a period of months. 

    Remains of the four children were found Monday in the trunk of a car at the Dickens home on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon. Dickens called 911 to report that he had killed the children. 

    Dickens, 38, is charged with four counts of murder.

    On Tuesday, Bizzell laid out the timeline of the deaths, which he said was based on investigation and interviews.

    Investigators have determined that Leah Dickens, 6, was killed first, sometime in May 2025. 

    Zoe Dickens, 9, was killed in August 2025.

    Wellington Dickens IV, was killed in late August or early September.

    Sean Brasfield, Dickens’ 18-year-old stepson, died last, sometime in September, Bizzell said.

    A 3-year-old child was found alive in the home. Dickens was arrested Monday and is being held without bond at the Johnston County jail.

    ‘I killed my children’: Zebulon father tells 911 dispatcher he killed his four children

    On Wednesday, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office released the recording of Dickens’ 911 call.

    “I killed my children,” Dickens said. “It’s a lot to explain,
    but in a nutshell, it’s probably my fault … I’m not even going … It’s my fault.
    It’s bad.”

    He continued, “It just started as me over-disciplining.”

    A dispatcher asked Dickens how he killed his children.

    “I beat on them sometimes,” Dickens said. “They didn’t want
    to eat. I didn’t force them to eat. I’ve told them it was a punishment not to eat. I did a bunch
    of different little things.”

    He told the dispatcher that he did not use a knife or gun to kill the children. 

    “I’m trying to just do the right thing,” Dickens told the dispatcher. 

    Dickens told the dispatcher he was not carrying any weapons
    but did admit to having knives at his home.

    He said, “If you want me to … I’ll come outside in my underwear. I
    don’t know what you all need me to be. I’m willing to do whatever you need me
    to do. I’ve never had this in my life.”

    When the dispatcher asked Dickens he had drunk any alcohol or
    done any drugs, Dickens said he smoked and sipped champagne before making the call.

    “It wasn’t up to me. Like, I had … God influenced me. Like,
    that’s it,” Dickens said. “It wasn’t me ’cause I got nervous, and I didn’t do it
    when I was supposed and I was being a coward.”

    Dickens said the situation in his home had “spiraled.”

    “I just can’t take it [anymore],” Dickens said. “I never did
    this before. This stuff is crazy. And, I got my son, and I just feel guilty,
    guilty as hell.”

    The dispatcher informed Dickens there was a deputy outside
    his home.

    Investigators still trying to determine a motive

    Bizzell said investigators had yet to determine a motive for the deaths. He added, “As the sheriff, as a father and as a grandfather, I can stand here and say there is no reason for a father to murder his children.”

    Dickens was a widower caring for the five children. His wife, Stephanie Dickens, died at home on April 21, 2024, Bizzell said. She was 37.

    Deputies were called to the home on that night and found that Stephanie Dickens, who was pregnant at the time of her death, died from complications of a miscarriage. Dickens told authorities his wife had been bleeding excessively the night before her death, but that she refused to go to the hospital for medical treatment. 

    The couple had a history of refusing medical treatment, records show. 

    In 2016, WakeMed reported the family to the North Carolina Division of Social Services, claiming that Dickens and his wife refused medical care for their newborn baby girl against doctors’ orders and left the hospital. The couple and the baby girl did not return for a follow-up appointment, the documents show.

    According to the documents, WakeMed said the baby girl suffered from jaundice, a condition that could cause brain damage in newborns.

    When social workers showed up to Dickens’ home on Aug. 23, 2016, he refused to let them see the child. He refused to let social workers see the child on subsequent visits.

    Authorities eventually arrested Dickens, and he was jailed until he complied with a judge’s order. He told his wife to take their daughter to a clinic.

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  • Four NC children found dead in trunk of car identified; father tells 911 he killed them

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    A man was arrested in Johnston County Monday night for killing his four children.

    According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the 911 center received a call from 38-year-old Wellington Delano Dickens III, who told 911 operators that he killed his children. 

    The sheriff’s office announced Tuesday afternoon that Dickens is charged with four counts of murder. He is charged with one count of murder for each of the children listed below:

    • Leah Dickens, age 6
    • Zoe Dickens, age 9
    • Wellington Dickens, age 10
    • Sean Brasfield, his stepchild, age 18

    Johnston County deputies arrived at the house on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon and found Dickens, who told deputies his 3-year-old son was inside the house and alive.

    Dickens then informed them that four of his other children were dead inside the trunk of a car in the garage. 

    Authorities believe the four children have been dead since May 1.

    Wellington Delano Dickens III is charged with murder.

    The Wake County Public School System said the four children are not enrolled in the district.

    Deputies confirmed that the 3-year-old is alive. When they checked the car in the garage, they found human remains in the trunk. 

    Authorities removed a two-door Honda sedan from Wellington Dickens III’s home on Tuesday.

    The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for the house and established that Dickens had killed his three biological children and an 18-year-old stepchild.

    The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene, which is near the Johnston County and Wake County line.

    The sheriff’s office said this is an ongoing investigation.

    Authorities removed a two-door Honda sedan from Wellington Dickens III’s home on Tuesday.

    Related: NC father charged with murder of 4 children had prior accusation of neglect or abuse of child

    Wellington Dickens III makes court appearance

    Dickens appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon. He will be assigned a public defender.

    A judge told Dickens in court on Tuesday that a first-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life without parole or the death penalty if he is convicted.

    Authorities are holding Dickens at the Johnston County Jail without bond.

    On Tuesday, Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller declined to comment on the case.

    Dickens is due back in court on Wednesday.

    Neighbors share their reactions

    WRAL News spoke with Chris Yingling and Fran Majkowski, who live near Dickens’ home.

    “I woke up this morning and
    looked out waiting for a package and saw all these cops, and was like, ‘Hey
    mom, something is happening,’” Yingling said.

    “I walk by that house almost every single day,” Majkowski said.

    WRAL News asked Yingling how he’s holding up.

    “It’s definitely a horrible thing to happen,” Yingling said.
    “I wouldn’t wish anything [like] this onto anybody.”

    Majkowski didn’t know Dickens or the rest of his family personally, but remembers when they moved into the house on Springtooth Drive.

    “I never saw a child outside playing,” Majkowski said. “I never saw him mowing a lawn.

    “The only time I ever saw them was the day they moved in and like I said … it was very … you just get the feeling someone is to themselves.”

    Debra Riley, who lives next door, said she and other neighbors are still trying to piece together what happened on Tuesday.

    “My heart just breaks for the children, and for the 3-year-old that’s left because he has no parents or siblings left,” Rily said. 

    Majkowski shared how the neighborhood reached out to Dickens in 2024 after his wife died.

    “This is a new neighborhood,” Majkowski  said. ” have been here for three years. Everyone else has been here a year and a half to two years. There was an outpouring of support.”

    Riley said Dickens “became more of a recluse” after his wife’s death.

    “You just never saw him outside as much. You never saw the children outside as much,” Riley said.

    Another neighbor, Sherry Burton, told WRAL News that she last saw Dickens about “a month ago,” and that he was acting strangly.

    “He seemed like his mind was somewhere else,” Burton said. 

    Burton also told WRAL News that her son smelled something “very, very strong,” coming from the house, to the point where her son almost vomitted from the smell.

    Great uncle says Dickens served in the military

    WRAL News also spoke with Charles Moore, who is Dickens’ great uncle.

    Moore said he last saw Dickens about a year ago and “he seemed fine.”

    Dickens is an Iraq War veteran, according to Moore. WRAL News is working to find out what branch of the military Dickens was in and his rank.

    “We know he had a little problem,” Moore said of Dickens.

    WRAL News asked Moore specifically what kind of problem.

    “He was in the service, and he had a problem ever since he came back, I think,” Moore said.

    Moore shared how he felt learning of the news on Tuesday.

    “Like anybody else I was just shocked,” Moore said. “You hear it, talk about it happening to other people. You just wouldn’t think it would happen to one of your own.”

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