Man charged with stealing shoes, jewelry and tools at NC Central and Durham Tech
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- Melvin Payne Jr. is accused of breaking into buildings at Durham Tech and N.C. Central.
- Court records show Payne has a lengthy history of similar offenses.
- He remained in jail without bail Wednesday.
A man is facing multiple charges after police say he broke into buildings, including a dorm, at two Durham college campuses.
Melvin Payne Jr., 34, of Durham was arrested Monday as he was breaking into a South Plum Street apartment in East Durham, court documents state. As first reported by CBS17, he was served with multiple arrest warrants from a series of break-ins throughout the Bull City, including:
- Charges of felony breaking and/or entering, larceny after breaking/entering, felony injure building/fence/wall and injury to real property in a Jan. 7 break-in at Durham Technical Community College’s George W. Newton Industrial and Engineering Technologies Center. Payne is accused of damaging doors, storage equipment, lighting reels, a metal fence and glass windows and stealing tools and equipment, his warrant states.
- Two charges each of felony breaking and/or entering and larceny after breaking/entering in a Nov. 27 break-in at N.C. Central University’s Chidley North Residence Hall. Court documents allege Payne stole a TV, AirPods, food, cleaning supplies, clothes, shoes, carts, speakers and jewelry from one room, making off with over $1,600 in property.
- Breaking/entering a motor vehicle with theft in a Nov. 27 incident at NCCU. Payne is accused of breaking into a university vehicle and stealing 16 tools worth $2,202, according to his arrest warrant.
Payne has a lengthy criminal history in North Carolina, with at least 24 previous convictions relating to theft or assault, court records show. Prosecutors in Durham County have dismissed at least 13 other charges against him between 2014 and 2021.
A release order in a 2023 Wake County case where Payne allegedly stole $126 in power banks and knives from Walmart described him as homeless and with a history of failing to appear in court. That case was dismissed by the Wake County District Attorney’s Office on Sept. 3, court records show.
Court documents in the pending charges describe Payne as being on post-release probation, but it wasn’t immediately clear from the records Wednesday what he was on probation for.
He remained in the Durham County jail without bail as of Wednesday afternoon. He is next set to appear in court Feb. 26.
