Orange deputy investigated for shooting suspect

CALDWELL, N.C. — Joshua Scott Wiseman, a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff's Office is being investigated for his role in the shooting a suspect over the weekend.

Wiseman is believed to have fired that shot that killed Christopher Dean Trivett on New Sharon Church Road Saturday, a spokeswoman for the state said.

Law enforcement in Orange, Person and Granville counties searched for Trivett, 32, of Saplin Branch Road in Timberlake, who was a suspect in a series of home break-ins, two attempted murders and one attempted sexual assault.

Orange County investigators said Saturday that deputies became "involved in a shooting incident after encountering the suspicious person."

Person County dispatch officials said on Saturday night that Trivett ran from deputies and might have fired first, prompting deputies to return fire. It is not clear how many shots were fired.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office called in the State Bureau of Investigation to review the case, following standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings. The sheriff's office also turned over the case to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

According to warrants, Trivett first broke into a home at 290 Brooks Carr Road in Roxboro while the homeowner was inside. The arrest warrants say he stole two 12-gauge shotguns and .22-caliber rifle worth about $1,500 from the home.

Investigators said that Trivett next broke into a home in the Guess Road area in Hurdle Mills that was occupied by two women. He attempted to sexually assault one woman and tried to kill both women, according to the arrest warrants.

Trivett then wrecked the stolen car and abandoned it across the street from 895 Guess Road. Arrest warrants say that Trivett used a shotgun while breaking into at home at that address.

Person County Sheriff Dewey Jones said investigators believe the home break-ins were not random. All the stolen weapons were recovered.

Trivett had an extensive criminal record in Person and Granville counties and in Virginia dating to 2002, according to North Carolina Department of Correction records.

A Virginia court placed Trivett on probation in November 2007 after he was convicted a September 2003 larceny.

Trivett was released from a North Carolina prison in July 2006 after serving nearly 2 1/2 years for a probation violation. He had been placed on probation on July 22, 2003, for a series of larcenies and breaking-and-entering of homes and vehicles over nine days in November of that year.