Web snags 100 fugitives in Rocky Mount

100 fugitives were rounded up and arrested in the Rocky Mount area Tuesday morning in what authorities are calling "Operation Spider Web" to stop the flow of drugs into the city.

Posted 8:19 p.m. Oct 17, 2013 — Updated 9:25 a.m. Oct 18, 2013

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — "Operation Spider Web," a collaboration area law enforcement agencies, snagged 100 fugitives from the Rocky Mount area this week.

"Yesterday morning, when most people were home sleeping, the men and women of the Rocky Mount Police Department, U.S. Marshal Service and other state and local law enforcement prepared to go out. They left their family at home and they went out and did their job to arrest these violent, dangerous individuals," U.S. Marshall Scott Parker said Thursday.

The two-week operation culminated in 100 arrests, and police served 232 search warrants. Authorities seized five firearms and 63 grams of narcotics.

Among the arrests was Keeandus Rashad Barnes, 23, whose record includes a charge of attempted first-degree murder, possession of firearm by a felon and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling.

Participating agencies included the sheriff’s offices in Pitt, Edgecombe and Nash counties, the Raleigh, Kinston and Greenville police departments, the State Bureau of Investigation, state Division of Adult Correction and the state Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement.

Officers targeted abandoned houses where criminals were known to hide.

“It has been said that spiders use their webs to get rid of flies, and without them, the Earth would be covered in flies. Well, the 'spidermen' of law enforcement utilize their powers of arrest to get rid of drug dealers and violent offenders within our communities, and without them, the world will be inundated with criminals,” Rocky Mount Police Chief James Moore said in a statement.

Also arrested in the sweep were:

Anivel Puddy, 21, possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of larceny of motor vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, resist/delay/obstruct officer, maintain dwelling/vehicle for sale/distribution of narcotics and interfere with electronic monitoring device.

Elliott Pittman, 31, possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana, possession of marijuana, maintain dwelling/vehicle for sale/distribution of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Devonte Jamal Johnson, 20, six counts of possession with intent to sell/deliver cocaine, six counts of possession of cocaine and maintain dwelling/vehicle for sale/distribution of narcotics.

Moore said his department would be relentless in tracking violent criminals.

"We're not going to sleep until that person is arrested and in jail because these individuals have proven how violent they are and that they need to be in jail," he said.

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