WINTON – Two young men are behind bars here after an alleged attempted robbery on Parker Land Road near the Menola community.

Anthony Dickens, 18, and Fernando Faison, 25, both of Gay Farm Path in Rich Square, were arrested and charged with felonious breaking and entering and larceny on Wednesday. Their first court appearance was Friday.

“We got a call Wednesday from a farmer in reference to a breaking and entering that was on his property,” stated Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan.

He continued, “The landowner made one of the guys stay there until we got there, holding him at gunpoint until deputies arrived. The other man had ran into the woods, we learned later.”

Vaughan added, “They (the suspects) had broken into his barn and had some scrap pieces of steel tied up outside the door on the ground, getting ready to load it up on their van… but the farmer caught them in the act and halted the robbery.”

The man being detained by his would-be victim was identified as Faison.

“Faison was arrested and once we got him taken away, the other fellow that was with him walked out of the woods, saying he was walking to another location in Ahoskie, but after investigation we found out he was the other robber so we arrested him also,” Vaughan stated.

The Sheriff noted he was grateful to the farmer for detaining the suspect until help could arrive. He also congratulated arresting officers Deputy Lloyd Parker, Deputy Allen Archer, Sergeant John Joyner, Detective Brian Pearce and Lieutenant Mike Stephenson.

Dickens is being held in the Hertford County Jail under a $40,000 secured bond and Faison’s was set at $50,000 secured.

Vaughan explained that scrap steel can be sold at junkyards for a significant profit.