Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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On Sunday night, they received some relief when two men were arrested in connection with the death of 21 year-old Joshua Sweitzer, who was shot in the head Oct. 31, 2007 while working at the Lucky Mart in High Point.
Ronnie Lee Covington Jr., 20, and Keith Lauchon Jackson Jr., 18, — both of High Point — were charged with the murder by the High Point Police Department.
According to the Thomasville Police Department, the arrests come two days after Covington and Jackson were arrested — along with Quaki Emil Hairston, 17, and Matthew Christopher Savoy, 18, both of High Point — in connection with a rash of armed robberies of gas stations in Thomasville, High Point and Lexington. The two men are in custody at the Davidson County Jail.
Aside from being charged with murder, Covington and Jackson have been charged with seven counts of armed robbery.
Based on witnesses statements describing a dark green Ford Explorer the individuals possibly used in the gas station robberies, the suspects were stopped when deputies encountered a vehicle matching that description.
After observing that most of the robberies occurred after 8 p.m., the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and Thomasville Police Department joined for a saturation patrol on I-85 Business Friday night.
Little did they know that their efforts would pay off by not only nabbing the robbery suspects, but also uncovering suspects in the Sweitzer murder case.
“We haven’t been involved in the investigation,” Thomasville Police Chief Ronald S. Bratton said. “All this came about when the county stopped this car today and we charged them. Everything fell in place after that.”
In a interview with the Thomasville Timess in November, Sweitzer’s mother, Phoebe Shepherd, said her son had dreams of joining the High Point Police Department as a police officer. Those dreams came to an end, when he was murdered while helping his out at his uncle’s High Point gas station. It was a job that he was working temporarily until he received word back from High Point on his hire status.
Sweitzer — a former three-sport Thomasville High School athlete — eventually wanted to become an FBI agent. The 21-year-old had received an associate’s degree in criminal justice at Davidson County Community College in 2007.
His family can now have some comfort in knowing arrests have been made in his murder, but they will truly miss the man who would often bring a smile to their face.
“I’m joyed for the most part because I felt confident that the High Point Police Department would find the suspects,” his brother Nick Sweitzer said Monday. “At the same time, it doesn’t bring back my brother. It’s good to know these people are off the street. We can have some closure now, but at the same time it’s hard for all of my family.”
The investigation of the murder continues and anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers of High Point at 889-4000.
Repeated attempts to reach the High Point Police Department for additional information were unsuccessful.
Staff Writer Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 231, or ignasiak@tvilletimes.com