GATES COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) — A man wanted out of Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth was located and arrested in Gates County, North Carolina, Thursday after being “off the grid” for a year and a half.
The Gates County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested Xavier Lawrence Smith in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service on Thursday.
He was wanted on charges including burglary, larceny and discharging a firearm into an occupied building in connection with cases in Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth.
Gates County officials said the U.S. Marshals Service notified them on May 20 that there may be a wanted fugitive who was considered armed and dangerous living in Gates County. They said Smith had been living off the grid since Dec. 26, 2019.
The sheriff’s office began an investigation, surveillance, and coordinating background intelligence with the U.S. Marshals Service. Through the investigation, the sheriff’s office determined Smith was living with a girlfriend near Willeyton Road in Gates County.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office and marshals took Smith into custody in the area where he was living.
