Durham Woman Catches Burglary Suspects in Act

Durham, N.C. — A woman in North Durham may have helped solve at least half a dozen break-ins in her area after she confronted three strangers who broke into her house on Hallmark Road Wednesday.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she came home and found three men upstairs. One of them had her purse, so she confronted them.

“She said she was struck, struck by one of the intruders,” said Lt. Stanley Harris with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman followed the intruders outside, and one of the men fired a gun, deputies said. The woman was not injured.

“The gun was in her direction, and she saw the flash on the muzzle,” Harris said.

The woman quickly dialed 911, which helped authorities catch the suspects. During the 911 call, the woman can be heard telling the dispatcher that the suspects were driving a white Cadillac.

“I got the license plate number, and they stole some stuff from me,” she said.

Minutes later, a deputy responding to the scene spotted the vehicle and pulled it over.

“For us, it was a really great catch,” Harris said.

All three men now face multiple charges.

Authorities arrested Carlos Jones, Jameel Ray and Michael Pullium. Although he was listed in court document as “Michael Pullium,” investigators said his name is actually Mark Travers. Ray was previously charged with murder and was out on bond awaiting trial.

The men were in jail Thursday night, and a copy of their past arrest reports was thick. Deputies said they expect to file more charges against the men in the coming days. Authorities believe the men were responsible for other break-ins in the area.

Deputies say the situation could have been much worse.

“Any time you get a three on one scenario, that’s not good odds, even for law enforcement,” Harris said.

Neighbors said they believe the community is still safe. Although, now they are a bit more inclined to take the neighborhood watch more seriously.

“I think she was extremely lucky,” said neighbor Alvin Cooper. “One of the reasons we moved out here is because it’s a nice, quiet neighborhood, and I think it remains that way.”