Police Arrest Wilmington Man for Raleigh Kidnappings

Raleigh, N.C. — A Wilmington man was arrested and charged Thursday in connection with two abductions and multiple robberies that occurred Monday afternoon and Wednesday night.

Omar Cortez Sharpe, 26, has also been charged in connection with two rapes and robberies that occurred previously in Raleigh, and he faces additional charges in Wilmington, police said.

He is being held under a $4.8 million bond.

Sharpe is charged with two counts of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the abduction of a woman and her daughter who had stopped for pizza at Tower Shopping Center Wednesday night.

Sharpe entered their SUV while the two victims were inside a restaurant and hid until after they returned, police said.

The two counts of robbery stem from Sharp allegedly demanding the woman make two withdrawals from an ATM before releasing her and her daughter. He was armed with a handgun during the crimes, police said.

Sharpe is also charged with one count of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the abduction of a woman from a Wal-Mart parking lot on June 25.

Sharpe entered the victim’s vehicle and forced her to drive to various locations, eventually demanding that she make two withdrawals from an ATM before releasing her, police said.

The two counts of robbery stem from the fact that the suspect demanded that the victim make two ATM withdrawals. Sharpe was armed with a handgun during the crimes.

Sharpe is charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping, one count of first-degree rape and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the abduction of a woman who was leaving an apartment on Hylton Drive.

The abduction occurred at approximately 4 a.m. on June 24.

The suspect pushed the victim into the vehicle, took her car keys and drove her away from the apartment complex’s parking lot. After driving around in the area for a short period of time, the suspect took the victim to the Green Road Park, where he raped her.

After the rape, the suspect ordered the victim back into the car. He again began to drive but the victim managed to escape and to summon help from Raleigh Police Department officers she located in the area. After the victim escaped, the suspect fled in her car.

Sharpe was armed with a handgun during the crimes.

He is charged with one count of first-degree rape and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection with crimes that began with an abduction in Wilmington on June 16.

Sharpe transported his victim to Raleigh, where he subsequently raped her in a wooded area near Bonneville Court, according to police. The suspect subsequently released the victim shortly after 10 a.m. at a nearby location and took her car. He was armed with a handgun during the crimes.

Sharpe was taken into custody without further incident at Tower Shopping Center shortly after noon Thursday by members of the Raleigh Police Department.

He had previous convictions dating back to 1998 for assaulting females, assault with a deadly weapon, shoplifting, trespassing and larceny, according to court records.