Carolina Indicts 2 in Lumberton Paper Takeover

Two Tuscarora Indians who were acquitted of federal charges stemming from the takeover of a Robeson County newspaper were indicted by a state grand jury Tuesday on 14 counts of second-degree kidnaping.

Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood issued arrest orders for Eddie Hatcher and Timothy Jacobs after the indictments were returned. He set bond for the two men at $140,000 each.

Hatcher, 31, and Jacobs, 20, were acquitted by a federal jury Oct. 14 on hostage-taking and firearms violations. The charges stemmed from the Feb. 1 takeover of the Robesonian newspaper in Lumberton, in which up to 20 people were held hostage.

Hatcher and Jacobs never denied taking over the newspaper but said they were trying to save their lives by drawing attention to Hatcher’s claims that he had information linking public officials to drug trafficking.

Hatcher was arrested without incident at the headquarters of his defense fund in Pembroke, Sheriff Herbert Stone said. He said Jacobs was believed to be out of the county.

State Bureau of Investigation agent James Bowman said he expected more indictments to come later.