PITTSBORO — A Pittsboro man has been charged with several felony counts, including second-degree kidnapping, after reportedly firing shots and holding a bank manager hostage last Thursday afternoon at the State Employees Credit Union in Pittsboro.
The actions of suspect Kevin Laliberte, 54, stopped all traffic along East Street for multiple hours Thursday as members of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and Pittsboro Police Department stood in the parking lot and the street outside the SECU, with guns drawn and vests donned.
A motive for the alleged crime has not been given. Pittsboro Police Chief Percy Crutchfield told News + Record on Tuesday that the department was “still working on some of that.”
“There’s a few aspects still under investigation, so I really can’t say at this point,” he said. “If you look at the charges, that’s what’s unique about it. That’s the stuff we’re still working on.”
In a statement released Friday, the day after the incident, Crutchfield said Laliberte “allegedly fired a handgun inside the credit union and held the manager against his will.” Pittsboro police responded to a shots fired call around 11:43 a.m. Thursday at the SECU.
After numerous law enforcement agencies gathered at the scene, Laliberte said he would only talk with N.C. State Highway Patrol Trooper Rodney Cook. Cook arrived and worked with negotiators from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office to negotiate Laliberte’s surrender.
“He did a really good job,” said Crutchfield, who added that Cook is a Chatham County native. “I don’t know what the outcome would have been without him. Apparently, he had dealt with Rodney in an accident he had previously. He just thought Rodney was a really professional, nice guy. He said he would surrender himself to Trooper Cook.”
After his arrest, Laliberte was charged with one count of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, 15 counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property and one count of injury to real property. The press release said the case is still being investigated and “additional charges may be filed.”
“I would like to express how grateful I am for all the cooperation and assistance the PPD received from all Law Enforcement Agencies, Emergency Responders and the support of the community during this incident,” Crutchfield said in Friday’s statement. “We are very grateful that no one was injured, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. This is largely due to Trooper Cooks’ professionalism and the reputation he has as a law enforcement officer.”
The press release added that members of the Pittsboro Police Department, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, State Highway Patrol, First Health EMS, Chatham County Emergency Management and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all responded in some way to the incident.
Laliberte was held under a $1 million bond with a scheduled September 25 court date in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro.
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.