Police find wanted NC man in Kingston Springs motel with 3-year-old son
KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. (WKRN) — Middle Tennessee authorities rescued a child while arresting his father, who was reportedly considered an armed and dangerous suspect involved in multiple North Carolina crimes.
It all began the morning of Saturday, Dec. 16 in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, a town about 30 miles west of Charlotte. That’s where authorities said Joshua Stultz — who was recently released from a mental health facility where he was involuntarily committed — broke into his mother’s home.
According to a North Carolina police report, the 34-year-old stole his mother’s 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, two handguns, and $10,000 in cash from her safe. In addition, the man allegedly drove about 400 miles to Kingston Springs, Tennessee, with his 3-year-old son.
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Stultz eventually checked into an Interstate 40 motel. However, when he entered Kingston Springs, one of the town’s seven license plate recognition (LPR) cameras triggered an alert about the stolen pickup truck out of N.C.
Officer Brandon Scruggs with the Kingston Springs Police Department (KSPD) checked the area around Luyben Hills for the stolen vehicle. He found the pickup backed into a spot at a motel, so the officer went inside to gather information on the suspect, including the room in which he was staying.
LPR hits only tell law enforcement if a stolen vehicle has entered their jurisdiction. Therefore, the officer had to access other investigative files to learn more about the case.
That’s when Scruggs discovered who the suspect was and what he was accused of doing earlier in the day in North Carolina.
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Body camera footage of the takedown shows Scruggs, along with Cheatham County deputies, staging outside the room where Stultz was located.
The 34-year-old suspect surrendered without incident, but he told authorities he was scared. When asked if anyone else was in the room with him, Stultz replied, “No, just my son.”
To make sure, law enforcement swept the small motel room, which was clear. They found his son unharmed and in good spirits.
Stultz admitted he had two guns in the motel room. Officers eventually found one of the stolen North Carolina handguns in the toilet tank and a second weapon in a bathroom ceiling vent.
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The North Carolina police report said Stultz recently left a mental health facility, indicating he was suicidal.
“The subject had made multiple statements to friends and family about suicide, and that he was afraid that DCS was going to take his child from him,” KSPD Sgt. Jeremy Vaughan said.
Per the report, Stultz made the statement, “I’m going to Heaven and I’m taking everybody with me.”
“The grandmother was very relieved, not only to get her grandson back, but also to know that her son…did not harm himself or anyone else,” Vaughan said.
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According to Vaughan, the LPR cameras flagged the stolen truck in town, but this case was quickly and safely solved because of the officer’s tenacious investigative work.
“Officer Scruggs really went the extra mile on this case. He could have very easily put a stolen vehicle on the back burner, but he didn’t,” the sergeant explained. “He chose to dig into it and then really work hard on the investigation to locate the vehicle, which led to the recovery of the child.”
Stultz is currently being held without bond in the Cheatham County Jail, awaiting extradition proceedings back to North Carolina, officials said.
Meanwhile, Stultz’s little boy is reportedly back with his grandmother, as is most of her $10,000.
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