Minnesota man is 4th charged in case of man who went missing in Benson

A man from Minnesota has become the fourth person charged with concealing or failing to report a death in the disappearance of Christopher Cole Thomas in Benson, NC, last November.

Benson police said Tuesday that Jeremy Brian Carpenter, 42, of Taylor Falls, Minn., was arrested July 18 in Scandia, Minn., by authorities there and and returned to Johnston County on Monday.

The state law that makes it a crime to conceal a death or not report one to law enforcement assumes someone has died. Police have declined to say what their evidence is that a death has been concealed in the Thomas case.

A Johnston County grand jury indicted two men from Mount Olive and one from Dudley on failing-to-report charges, and they were arrested July 17. Two also were charged with obstructing justice.

Julian Valles Jr., 34, of Dudley, charged with three felony counts of obstruction of justice and one felony count of concealment of a death; he is being held on a $750,000 secured bond.

Anthony Ridell James Jr., 26, of Mount Olive, charged with one felony count of obstruction of justice and one felony count of concealment of a death; his bond is set at $350,000.

Rudolfo DeLeon Jr., 27, of Mount Olive, charged with one felony count of concealment of a death; his bond is set at $1 million.

Thomas, 22, was last reported to have been seen on Nov. 25, 2016. he was Florida native and had been working in Minnesota.

Police were told that he was passing through Benson in a car with two other people en route to Durham for Thanksgiving when the car stopped and he ran off on foot.

The offense date in the charges against Valles, James and DeLeon is Nov. 25, 2016.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Minnesota man is 4th charged in case of man who went missing in Benson."