Stick seized from murder suspect's insurance agency

Charlotte, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police seized a stick from a Charlotte insurance agency owned by the suspect charged in the death of state insurance examiner Sallie Rohrbach.

Police searched the premises of Dilworth Insurance Agency on Thursday after receiving information from a North Carolina Department of Insurance investigator of possible evidence related to the crime at the agency, according to a third search warrant made public Monday.

The stick was the only item seized, according to the warrant, but it does not provide further details about the item.

An examiner with the Department of Insurance, Rohrbach, 44, of Angier, was reported missing May 16. Her body was found four days later in a private wooded area of Fort Mill, S.C.

According to a search warrant released last week, she was in Charlotte reviewing the financial records of Dilworth owner Michael Howell after GMAC Insurance pulled its operating agreement for failing to pay customer premiums.

Howell, 40, is charged with first-degree murder.

Investigators have not said how Rorhbach died, but sources within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have told CBS affiliate WBTV that she died from blunt force trauma and that the slaying occurred inside Howell's office.

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I am not really concerned what type of "stick" it is if it is connected with this terrible incident. I am not really concerned with her exact title. This man committed a crime and took the life of an innocent woman that was doing her job to protect the citizens of North Carolina. This man destroyed her family's lives. Her husband does not have his college sweetheart and/or his wife of 24 years plus. This is a TERRIBLE crime and he should pay the fullest price. But... this woman will never be there again for her husband. That is sad.

carolinaheel
June 5, 2008 4:10 p.m.

Sounds like a dangerous job. People will kill to avoid jail and losing money. Maybe they should do these type of investigations in teams.

Space Mountain
June 5, 2008 10:41 a.m.

Commish Long sent several of the DOI Investigators (translate LEos) to help in the investigation as soon as the Examiner, often incorrectly id'd as an Investigator, went missing.

wa4mjf
June 4, 2008 3:16 p.m.

How stupid can this guys be? This is from the Charlotte web site..."Her vehicle was found at a Bojangles Sunday morning in Southwest Charlotte. Detectives pulled surveillance video from a check cashing business near where Rohrbach's car was found. They haven't said what's on that tape." I'll bet I know what they saw.

shirleyr1
June 3, 2008 1:45 p.m.

"You all are not funny, asking what kind of stick does it matter? Evidently it has to be the kind of stick that can cause blunt force trauma, duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."--souljp1

Nobody was trying to be funny - it's a legitimate question. The terminology used does not indicate that the stick had anything to do with the murder weapon. Duh...