Robeson casinos raided; dozens of 'sovereign citizens' arrested

Vehicles, currency, marijuana, firearms and over 200 illegal gaming machines were seized during the raids at 1345 Modest Road in Maxton, 129 Nancy Lane in Pembroke and 1521 Opal Road in Red Springs.

More than 26 people of the Tuscarora Nation were arrested following a year-long investigation that found the group operated the three casinos, an unlicensed police force and an indoor and several outdoor marijuana growing operations. The group was also making threats of war against law enforcement, said Terrance Merriweather, head of North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement.

"Citizens living near the casinos complained of the illegal activity taking place and notified law enforcement," Merriweather said in a statement. "This group openly expressed beliefs that neither the laws of North Carolina nor the United States applied to them, putting law-abiding citizens in danger."

Sovereign citizens are anti-government individuals who assert that, even though they physically reside in the U.S., they are separate, or "sovereign," so state and federal laws don't apply to them.

The casinos had one-arm bandit, Pot of Gold and other illegal gambling machines housed in blacked-out buildings with no clocks. They operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all had heavily-armed security who were unlicensed and used blue lights in their trucks, authorities said.

"Most of the offenders arrested today were considered to be armed and dangerous, and many have criminal records," Robeson County Sheriff Kenneth Sealey said in a statement. "People living in those towns were scared of the activities taking place around the casinos. At the end of the day, this operation is all about community betterment."

Tuscarora Nation’s leader, Kendall Locklear, 57, his son, Keaton, were among those arrested.

Others charged included Michelle Locklear, 46, Kendrick Locklear, 21, Micheal Locklear, 17, Fredrick Hawkins, 45, Timmy Oxendine, 46, Perry Locklear, 44, Timothy Jacobs, 44, Jeffrey Ingram, Keton Oxendine, 24, Jerry Oxendine, 59, Edith Oxendine, 55, Miranda Jo Dial, Robert Chavis, 62, Derena Chavis, 52, Felicia Campbell, 46, Dustin Warriax, 48, Richard Sampson, 44, and Marcus Bullard, 19.

In addition to ALE and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives participated in the investigation. Police in Lumberton, Maxton and Red Springs, the State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina and Virginia National Guard, University of North Carolina at Pembroke police, the state Department of Public Safety K-9 unit and the Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau helped with Monday's raids.