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| Thomas, Cole 11-25-16; Benson, NC - age 22 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 21 2016, 09:02 PM (139 Views) | |
| tatertot | Dec 21 2016, 09:02 PM Post #1 |
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http://wncn.com/2016/12/21/warrants-man-re...-big-meth-deal/ Warrants: Man reported missing in Benson was in town to ‘do a big’ meth deal By CBS North Carolina Published: December 21, 2016, 10:49 am Updated: December 21, 2016, 5:40 pm RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Search warrants obtained Wednesday reveal that a man who went missing in Benson in November was in town to “do a big drug deal” with friends. Cole Thomas has been missing for almost four weeks. Acquaintances who were traveling with the 22-year-old claim he stopped his vehicle at an intersection near downtown Benson on Nov. 25, ran from the vehicle and disappeared. According to search warrants requested by the State Bureau of Investigation for the cell phones of Thomas’ associates, the man had been driving a vehicle with two other people inside in the vicinity of E. Morgan Street and N. Elm Street around 3 a.m. when he allegedly jumped out and ran. Thomas’ father, Christopher Thomas, told authorities that, according to his son’s friend, Cole Thomas had traveled from Minnesota to North Carolina with the two friends who were later found inside the vehicle that was abandoned in Benson. The friend told Christopher Thomas that he had been dropped off at an airport in Minnesota so that he could fly home to be with his son and that Cole Thomas then drove to North Carolina. The friend told Christopher Thomas that the three men were headed to North Carolina to “do a big drug deal.” According to warrants, the man further explained to Christopher Thomas that once the three made it to their destination in North Carolina, “the person they intended to do the drug deal with made them take off their clothes” to prove they weren’t wearing a wire. That caused Cole Thomas to “flip out.” The warrant states that no further information was provided to explain what happened to Cole Thomas next. On Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, investigators also interviewed the two men who were in the car with Cole Thomas, warrants show. One friend told investigators that he did in fact travel from Minnesota to North Carolina with Cole Thomas and the other friend to take part in a drug deal. The man said that the purpose of the trip was to purchase methamphetamine from an associate. Warrants state that the friend told investigators that as they were driving back from where they bought the meth, Cole Thomas, who was driving, “began to get paranoid and began to drive erratically” before coming to a stop in Benson and running out of the car. The other friend who took part in the drug deal corroborated the story of the drug deal and voluntarily gave investigators the number of the man he purchased the meth from. The man explained that shortly after the drug deal went down, Cole Thomas disappeared. The warrants seek permission to search three phone numbers believed to be involved in the case – those of the two friends in the car with Cole Thomas and the man who sold them the drugs. Cole Thomas’ father released a statement to CBS North Carolina in which he expressed his frustration with the information made public Wednesday. “My wife and I have stayed here (in Benson) since learning our child disappearance by way of facebook. To add further pain to my our suffering we have waited and trusted those who promised they would help find out what happened and location of our son to no avail,” Christopher Thomas wrote. “In my opinion to put this information out based on these few individuals and right here before the holidays has brought all who love Cole a great deal of added pain.” He admitted his son had made mistakes recently. Christopher Thomas wrote that within the last six months, his son left college with a 4.0 GPA and went with friends to work in Minnesota. “As a family we were not happy with these changes but we truly believe our son became lost; it does not mean he was a bad person, nor account for all the great things he has accomplished in his life,” Christoper Thomas wrote. Christopher Thomas said he and his wife will “not give up, go home or give in to the evil doings” that played part in Cole’s disappearance.
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| Begood | Dec 24 2016, 05:22 AM Post #2 |
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VE OAK — Fighting back tears while protecting their lit candles from the cold wind, more than 30 people attended a candlelight vigil for Cole Thomas on Monday night at Millennium Park. Thomas, 22, went missing Nov. 25 in Benson, North Carolina. Born and raised in Live Oak, Thomas went missing the day after Thanksgiving while visiting an acquaintance, according to Benson police. Shawn Johnson, lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Dowling Park, is a friend of the family. He began and ended the vigil in prayer. During the vigil, Thomas’ grandmother, Gwyn Herrington, thanked everyone for coming and showing their support for her grandson. She asked that everyone keep the word out to help bring him home. Jessica Garcia is a friend of the family and helped put the event together. She passed out the candles and filmed the gathering for Thomas’ parents, who are in North Carolina. “We just want them to know that we’re here thinking about them and praying for them,” Garcia said. Rhonda Smith, Thomas’ aunt, said running off unexpectedly is very uncharacteristic of Thomas. “He’s a good guy, loved by everyone who met him,” Smith said. “I just don’t know how this could happen.” http://www.suwanneedemocrat.com/news/candl...0081bd403e.html |
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| tatertot | Jan 10 2017, 04:46 PM Post #3 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/cou...e125695769.html JANUARY 10, 2017 4:27 PM Search ongoing for Florida man reported missing in Benson BY ABBIE BENNETT It’s been 46 days since Christopher Cole Thomas was reported missing in Benson, and town police and the State Bureau of Investigation have spent more than 1,500 man hours searching for him. About 27 separate searches have been conducted so far. Law enforcement and volunteers have combed Benson and several other locations on foot, using trained dogs, and in the air using crafts piloted by the SBI and N.C. Highway Patrol. The 22-year-old Florida man went missing after stopping his car while driving through Benson and running away, people who knew him told police. At about 3 a.m. Nov. 25, Benson police received a report of a missing person. Two people said they had been traveling with Christopher Cole Thomas on Interstate 40 when he stopped in Benson while en route to Durham. Thomas got out of the car and ran away in a neighborhood at North Elm Street and East Morgan Street, his passengers said. They tried to find him but couldn’t. Tips have come in from multiple counties and even other states. North Carolina agencies are working across borders to collect information. The Thomas family, with the CUE Center for Missing Persons, was offering a $10,000 reward for information about Thomas’ whereabouts. “We and the assisting agencies are committed to finding Christopher Cole Thomas, and our investigation into his disappearance is still very much active,” said Benson Police Chief Kenneth Edwards. “We will continue to conduct interviews, initiate searches and follow all leads until he is reunited with his family.” Thomas, a white male, stands about 6’1” tall and weighs about 230 pounds. He has brown/blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt, black pants and a black Carhartt jacket, police said. Thomas was living in Live Oak, Fla., but working in Minnesota and was headed through North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with a co-worker living in Durham, police said. If you have any information that might be of assistance, call the Benson Police Department at 919-894-2091. |
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| Begood | Feb 17 2018, 07:06 PM Post #4 |
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http://www.wral.com/men-linked-to-cole-thomas-disappearance-ask-for-reduction-in-bond/17246969/ Cole Thomas case 'is a homicide investigation' Posted January 10 138 10 Reactions BENSON, N.C. — Family and friends of Christopher Cole Thomas were in court Wednesday as two of the four men linked to his 2016 disappearance asked for a reduction in their bond. Thomas, 22, was on his way from Minnesota to Florida for Thanksgiving when he was reported missing on Nov. 25, 2016. Friends said he pulled off Interstate 95, got out of the car near North Elm and East Morgan streets in Benson and disappeared. One month later, investigators learned that Thomas had been involved in a drug deal before his disappearance. The two men who were with Thomas confirmed to authorities that they had purchased methamphetamine from an acquaintance. After the deal, they said, Thomas became paranoid and started driving erratically before he stopped the car in Benson and ran off. Thomas is presumed dead, but authorities have never said if his body has been found. Almost a year after his disappearances, authorities charged Julian Valles Jr., of Dudley, Anthony Ridell James Jr., of Mt. Olive, and Rudolfo DeLeon Jr, of Mount Olive, with felony concealment of a death. Valles and James also face charges of obstruction of justice. |
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3:34 AM Jul 11