Wanted Sampson man caught after chase; missing wife still sought
Jun. 24—A Sampson County man wanted on felony warrants of vehicle theft, and for questioning in the disappearance of his wife earlier this month, was apprehended Wednesday afternoon following a high-speed chase on Interstate 40.
Carl Earl Andre Wiggins, 49, of Roseboro, was arrested after a pursuit that extended from Johnston County and ended in Wake County, reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour. He will be facing a plethora of offenses in that pursuit, as the investigation into the disappearance of Wiggins' wife, Kiara Renee Wiggins, 39, is ongoing.
According to reports, earlier Wednesday, Four Oaks police attempted to stop a 2003 black Ford Excursion reported stolen out of Bladen County, but it failed to yield. Wiggins, believed to be the driver, led authorities down U.S. 701 south to Newton Grove, before continuing onto N.C. 55 and N.C. 50 and then onto I-40 West in the Meadow community, according to reports.
Authorities pursued the stolen Ford Excursion for roughly 30 miles, through Johnston County, attempting several times to deploy stop sticks before a "successful tire spike" by the N.C. Highway Patrol between exits 301 and 302, according to Sampson County Sheriff's reports.
"The suspect jumped from the vehicle and fled into the woods. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect identified as Carl Wiggins was taken into custody," a Sampson Sheriff's release stated.
Wiggins was turned over to Sampson County Sheriff's deputies and the vehicle was towed back to Sampson County for processing. Wiggins was wanted by the Sampson County Sheriff's Office on charges of felony larceny and possession of a stolen vehicle. He will now be facing many more.
Charges against Wiggins "from the pursuit are pending the processing of warrants by different agencies," a Sheriff's Office statement read. As of Wednesday afternoon, Wiggins was being detained for questioning by local investigators.
On Monday, law enforcement officials announced that Roseboro resident Kiara Renee Wiggins, 39, was missing and considered in danger. Concerned relatives contacted the Sheriff's Office to report her missing, saying she had not been seen since nine days earlier, on June 9.
In the same announcement, sheriff's authorities said they also had issued warrants on Carl Wiggins in the June 17 theft of the Ford Excursion out of Bladen, and were seeking to serve those warrants along with question him in the disappearance of his wife.
"We are treating this as an endangered missing person and would remind everyone that Carl Earl Andre Wiggins is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached," Sampson County Sheriff's Lt. Marcus Smith stated Monday. The investigation into that disappearance is continuing.
On Tuesday, Kiara Wiggins' older sister Judy Murray told ABC11 that she had talked with her younger sister on a regular basis. They thought the worst when they stopped hearing from her, believing her husband may be involved in the disappearance.
"I'm sure she's not with us no more, but let us find her body and put her at rest," Murray told ABC11. "We looking. Baby girl, we going to find you one way or the other. One way or the other, baby girl, we looking."
A statement from the Sampson County Sheriff's Office credited officers from Four Oaks Police Department, the Johnston County Sheriff's Office, the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the NC State Highway Patrol, who they said were "instrumental" in Wiggins' apprehension.
"A pursuit on an interstate in a metropolitan area is not what anyone wants to happen," the Sampson Sheriff's Office statement read, "however due to the potential of an endangered missing person being held against their will, there was an obligation to intervene."
