WINTON – Five men are behind bars here, charged with a combined 41 felonies, including attempted murder.

Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan said the arrests were made in connection with three separate cases, two of which involved robbery as the motive.

The third case was an April 2 party at the Bryantville Park community building in Como. There, 49-year-old James Long of Como was shot in the side. He was airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville and is now back in Hertford County recovering from the gunshot wound.

Recently arrested in that shooting was 19-year-old Quantez Jamaal Everette of 108 Top Street, Murfreesboro. He was charged with attempted first degree murder.

However, according to Sheriff Vaughan, Everette was also allegedly involved in two other crimes, a robbery at Bryantville Park on April 11 and an attempted robbery on March 27 on Rhue Street in Murfreesboro where shots were fired at a residence.

In addition to attempted murder, Everette was also charged with 12 other felony counts – assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill; possession of a firearm by a felon (3 counts); robbery with a dangerous weapon; attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon (5 counts); discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling; and attempted first degree burglary. He was also charged with five misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun.

Everette remains in the Hertford County Jail under a $100,000 bond.

Allegedly joining Everette in the two robbery cases is 17-year-old Cecil Randolph White III of 107 Top Street, Murfreesboro. He remains behind bars, under a $115,000 bond, on the following felony charges:

One count each of robbery with a dangerous weapon and attempted first degree burglary; two counts each of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling/moving vehicle; and five counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon. White also stands charged with six misdemeanors – five counts of assault by pointing a gun and one count of injury to personal property.

The three others placed under arrest were each allegedly  involved in a series of Bryantville Park robberies or attempted robberies. They were:

Christopher Thomas Lee, 22, of 406 Broad Street, Aulander. He is charged with six felonies – one count each of robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon and four counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon – and five misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun. He remains in the Hertford County Jail under a $35,000 bond.

Kenya Teanda Futrell, 25, of 108 Doe Trail, Murfreesboro. His charges and bond are the same as Lee’s.

Waverly Eason, 28, of 219 Antler Drive, Murfreesboro. He is charged with four felony counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and five misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun. His bond was set at $52,000.

Sheriff Vaughan praised his staff – Capt. Raymond Eure, Lt. Will Liverman and Investigators John Joyner, Dexter Hayes and Brian Pearce – for their professional work on these cases.

“They did an excellent job in getting these men and weapons off the street,” Vaughan said. “This had evolved to a case where these men were just getting together and going around and robbing people at gunpoint. This was a case where public safety was severely threatened. We had to act quickly in order to get these men off the street.”