An employee working the night of the armed robbery at Mac’s Breakfast Anytime in Aberdeen is among two men now charged in the case.
Gregory Lindsey McCullough, 70, of Pinebluff, and Tommy Louis Ware Jr., 63, of Laurel Hill, were arrested this week following a roughly two-week investigation by the Aberdeen Police Department. Both were ordered held without bond.
McCullough was an employee working at the restaurant when the Oct. 9 robbery happened. Police said investigators received information that an employee was involved and later obtained evidence linking McCullough and Ware to the crime.
The robbery left three employees and two customers forced into a bathroom by an armed suspect who entered through an open back door.
Police have now disclosed that the suspect stole a customer’s purse, an employee’s phone and the restaurant’s bank bag containing approximately $700. The theft of the purse and the amount of cash stolen were not included in the initial information released about the robbery.
Investigators collected statements and reviewed surveillance video before identifying McCullough and Ware as suspects, according to police. They also identified Ware’s vehicle as the suspect vehicle.
The department said investigators executed multiple search warrants and obtained additional evidence confirming the men’s involvement. Police did not detail what that evidence was or explain McCullough’s alleged actions as an employee.
According to the department’s release, McCullough faces the following felony charges:
- Aiding and abetting robbery
- Accessory after the fact
- Conspiracy
- Larceny after the fact
- Four counts of second-degree kidnapping
Ware faces charges of:
- Felony robbery with a dangerous weapon
- Four counts of felony second-degree kidnapping
- Felony conspiracy
- Felony larceny
- Misdemeanor assault by pointing a gun
- Assault on a female
- Interfering with emergency communication
- Going armed to the terror of the people
- Damage to property
- Two counts of possession of stolen property
McCullough was located in Pinebluff on Oct. 20 by Aberdeen investigators, FBI agents, State Bureau of Investigation agents and Moore County sheriff’s deputies. Aberdeen investigators arrested him and took him before a Moore County magistrate, who ordered him held without bond.
Ware was located in Asheville on Oct. 21 by Asheville police and the U.S. Marshals Service, with assistance from the FBI. Aberdeen investigators transported him back to Moore County, where a magistrate also ordered him held without bond.
Aberdeen police credited the Moore County and Scotland County sheriff’s offices, Asheville police, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance throughout the investigation and arrests. Southern Pines police assisted with the initial response through its K9 division.
McCullough and Ware are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A Moore County native who has spent more than 20 years telling stories across North Carolina and beyond. He’s worked with CNN, WRAL, and CBS 17, and now serves as a Video Journalist for ABC11. Patrick has a passion for breaking news and has earned multiple awards for his coverage. He’s also a certified NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter and was among the first news videographers in the state to become an FAA-certified drone pilot.
