Published: November 05, 2009 11:47 pm      

Two taken into custody; suspects in Cumby, Campbell shootings

Two teenagers from Dallas were taken into custody in Hunt County Wednesday night, charged with the unlawful possession of a weapon and the possession of marijuana.

But the pair are also suspects in multiple drive-by shootings reported in Cumby and Campbell earlier in the evening , during which dozens of rounds may have been fired from a handgun. Although no one was injured during the incidents, law enforcement authorities believe the situation could have turned out much worse.

“It appeared to be just random shooting, but very easily somebody could have been killed,” said Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks.

“They came close to murder,” said Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper Justin Foyt, who placed both of the suspects into custody Wednesday.

Nicholas William Terry, 18, was booked into the Hunt County Jail on one count each of unlawfully carrying a weapon and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. Bond was set at $2,000 in each case and Terry was bonded out from the jail Thursday.

The second suspect was a 16-year-old male, who was transported to the Hunt County Juvenile Detention Center on the same charges. The individual’s name was withheld due to his age and the status of his custody could not be confirmed Thursday evening.

Foyt, with the Greenville DPS office, stopped a Honda Civic at the 89 mile marker on westbound Interstate 30 shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday for allegedly driving 93 miles an hour in a 65-mile-an-hour zone.

‘”I just rolled up on them,” Foyt said. “They were both nervous and fidgety.”

The juvenile passenger said they were coming back from a trip to Lake Tawakoni, while Terry claimed they were returning from a visit in Texarkana. Both suspects told Foyt they had never before been in trouble with the law, with the exception of some traffic tickets, although Foyt learned on a check of their criminal histories that Harris had previously been arrested for possession of less than two ounces of marijuana.

Foyt asked for and received consent to search the vehicle and allegedly recovered a bag containing drug paraphernalia and a usable quantity of what was believed to be marijuana.

“Underneath the passenger’s seat I found a 9mm handgun with a 30-round clip, a 15-round magazine and a 10-round magazine,” Foyt said. There was also approximately 100 more rounds of loose ammunition discovered inside the vehicle.

“I knew then they were up to something,” Foyt said.

Upon arriving back at the Hunt County Criminal Justice Center, Foyt learned officers from the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office and the Cumby Police Department were comparing notes on shootings in Cumby and Campbell believed to have been committed by someone firing a 9mm weapon.

“So, they became suspects in that,” Foyt said, adding Terry and the juvenile had both admitted to the shootings by early Thursday morning.

“I think they were just both driving down the road, shooting, but they came close to hitting a few people,” Foyt said.

Meeks said his office, the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers are investigating the case.

“To our understanding, it was two boys with nothing better to do,” Meeks said.

A house and at least two vehicles in Cumby were hit by gunfire Wednesday, while a residence in Campbell was also struck when a bullet shattered the home’s kitchen window. No one inside the house was hurt.

“It came very close to hitting them,” Meeks said. “We are continuing to investigate this and there could be additional charges filed.”

Even after recovering more than 150 rounds of ammunition, Meeks said the investigation had discovered 60 rounds of ammo still missing as of Thursday evening.

“They could have shot at somewhere else we might not be aware of,” Meeks said, asking anyone who may have found bullet holes, or who may have found spent shell casings on their property, to contact the sheriff’s office at 903-453-6800.