Man accused of targeting elderly arrested, charged

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Brian Thad Carver, 42, was arrested and charged with armed robbery, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon, police say.

He was arrested on Wednesday at the Red Carpet Inn, in Gastonia, after a police investigation.

Carver, who is accused of targeting elderly people, was found hiding in the motel shower and taken into custody without incident.

He’s been the subject of a searched in two separate armed robberies, with one resulting in kidnapping and a stolen vehicle.

Gaston County police had been actively searching for a suspect in two separate armed robberies with one resulting in a kidnapping and stolen vehicle.

Carver is being held in the Gaston County Jail on a $1 million bond.

On March 7, Carver is accused of armed robbery and assault of an elderly man at the 300 block of Rosewood Lane Extension in Dallas.

He is accused of displaying a firearm and stealing personal items and a jar of coins.

On March 11, Carver is accused of armed robbery, assault of an elderly man and woman, kidnapping and stealing a 2003 Dodge Dakota truck from a residence in the 100 block of Kiser Dairy Road in Dallas.

He is accused of stealing cash and a vehicle during this incident.

An 80-year-old man, who didn’t want to be identified, said Carver knocked on his door last week, asked to use the phone and then pulled out a gun.

"All of a sudden, he turned around, and he had a gun in my face, and he said give me your billfold,” the man said. "I'm just thankful that he didn't harm me.”

The man, who said he knows Carver, said he gave him $50 and showed him there was nothing more in his wallet.

He then gave Carver a ride to a relative’s house on Saturday, and during that ride, Carver tapped the barrel of the gun on his head.

"He told me he'd kill me,” the man said.

He said Carver took his money, went to his home and held up him and his wife at gunpoint.

"He had the gun, so I did what he told me to do,” he said.

The man said Carver dropped him off on Southfork Road in Lincoln County, near a bridge, about five miles from another bridge on Landers Church Road.

The body of another elderly man was found near a bridge in that area. The body was identified as Ray Jackson, 90, who was reported missing from his Dallas home last week.

Police said Carver may be connected to his death and the body being found.

A $1 million bond for a wanted man accused of robbing & kidnapping elderly people in Dallas. Only @wsoctv was there when he was charged. pic.twitter.com/DOSUmz7gLW
— Ken (@kenlemonWSOC9) March 16, 2017