A Maiden man is facing multiple charges linked to a home invasion in Lincolnton on Wednesday night.
Thomas Wayne Mathis, 38, is charged with felony first-degree burglary, felony larceny after breaking and entering, felony possession of stolen goods, misdemeanor assault on a female and misdemeanor communicating threats, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Here is the sheriff’s office account of what happened.
On Wednesday, a Lincolnton woman was preparing a meal when she heard a noise at the front door of her home on Tallpine Lane. She went to the door and found a man standing there dressed in a black hoodie, black pants and a black ski mask, the sheriff’s office said.
The man, later identified as Mathis, asked the woman for a drink of water. He also asked if she had any gasoline. When she said no, the man yanked open the storm door and threatened her, saying if she called the cops he would come back and kill her, the sheriff’s office said.
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It was reported that the man chased the woman into the bathroom, punched her in the mouth and knocked her into the bathtub. The suspect ran out of the house and fled the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The woman identified Mathis as the man by the sound of his voice. He is accused of taking the woman’s keys and a gold ring when he fled the residence. The ring was later found on the front porch of the home, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies searched the area around Tallpine Lane and eventually located the suspect off Davis Road where he was taken into custody. Mathis was interviewed and released pending further investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
As the investigation continued, detectives secured warrants for his arrest. Mathis was arrested Thursday night, the sheriff’s office said.
Mathis is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Two Russian soldiers were seen carrying a bathtub they appeared to have stolen from someone's home, in a move that has been widely derided by the Ukrainian side. The video shows the two Russian soldiers carrying the item across muddy ground away from what appears to be a Russian military truck parked next to a warehouse while their colleagues can be seen carrying a chair. The images were obtained from the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Wednesday, December 7, along with a statement saying: 'The special operation is going according to plan: washing machines have been seized - next is the bathtub.' The images were also relayed by Anton Herashchenko, 43, an official advisor to the Ukrainian government and a former Deputy Minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of internal affairs, along with a statement saying: 'The special operation is going according to plan: they stole the washers, took a raccoon and now they stole a bath for their swamp.' He added that the footage shows how the 'Russian marauders' have 'no analogues in any army in the world'. Since the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine, Russian soldiers have been filmed stealing assorted items from people's homes, including washing machines. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a 'special military operation'. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and December 7, Russia had lost about 92,740 personnel, 2,935 tanks, 5,909 armoured combat vehicles, 1,923 artillery units, 395 multiple launch rocket systems, 211 air defence systems, 281 warplanes, 264 helicopters, 1,601 drones, 592 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,526 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 163 units of special equipment. Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures. The governor of the Russian region of Kursk Oblast, Roman Starovoyt has said that a drone attack has set fire to an oil storage tank at an airfield some 280 kilometres (175 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The attack comes a day after two military airfields were also reportedly attacked deep inside Russia's territory. One of the attacks reportedly hit the Engels airfield in the Saratov region, which is where Russia houses some of its strategic nuclear bombers. Kyiv has not directly claimed responsibility for the attacks, with the United States saying on Tuesday that it had not 'enabled' Ukraine to carry out strikes inside Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: 'We have neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia.' Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly convened his Security Council following the alleged drone strikes. The Kremlin has said that Putin has met with senior officials to discuss 'domestic security', adding that Moscow was taking 'necessary' steps to protect itself from further attacks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that he agrees with Blinken that there needs to be peace in Ukraine, but he added that Russia does not see peace talks as a possible option 'at the moment'. Peskov added that for peace talks to be able to take place, Russia would first need to achieve the goals of its 'special military operation'. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has requested that regional authorities suspend non-essential surgeries at the country's hospitals due to the ongoing power blackouts caused by waves of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. EU officials have said that they will make sure that Ukraine gets EUR 18 billion in financial aid. The move comes after Hungary said it would block the funds from being released, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also accused of 'holding hostage' funds destined for Ukraine's hospitals. Orban's government has been accused of 'cynical obstructionism' after Hungary said on Tuesday that it would block the EUR 18 billion in aid.
