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COLERAIN, NC — A Bertie County homeowner caught a man breaking into the house Tuesday morning and held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived, according to the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest also closed the book on a second break-in on the same road from the week before.

Deputies were dispatched at 9:14 a.m. on Sept. 15, 2026, to a residence in the 200 block of Sally Freeman Road for a break-in in progress. By the time the call went out, the owner already had the suspect at gunpoint. When deputies arrived, they took Carlton Moore, 44, of Colerain, into custody.

The sheriff’s office put it plainly: the homeowner caught the suspect “in the act.” No shots were fired. The homeowner had the means to control the encounter and the discipline to hold it right there until deputies took over.

While working the scene, deputies developed Moore as the suspect in another break-in last week at a different home in the same 200 block of Sally Freeman Road. After taking him into custody, deputies searched his residence and found items stolen from that first home.

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Two houses on one road in one week. Last week’s break-in was still unsolved when the homeowner interrupted this one. The difference between the two calls was not the road or the suspect. It was that this time, someone was home and ready.

Moore is charged with two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny after breaking and entering, and two counts of possession of stolen goods. The sheriff’s office said he will be housed in the Durham County Jail. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.