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ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECTS CAUGHT IN CATAWBA COUNTY

By Jon Mayhew
NEWTON

Lincoln authorities were put on alert around midnight Tuesday to
be on the lookout for two Catawba County armed robbery
suspects who held up a Newton convenience store, then fled
from the Startown Road area.

Catawba County authorities hit paydirt in the case based on the
vehicle description of a dirty white Chevrolet Celebrity.
Authorities located the vehicle in Claremont and took Gregory
Matthew Leatherman, Newton, into custody.

Newton Police said Leatherman approached the clerk at the
Kangaroo Express at the intersection of Highway 10 and
Startown Road, demanding money. He initially fled on foot with
an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise but got into a
nearby vehicle.

Authorities said they believe Brandy Nicole McKinney was driving
the getaway vehicle. She was arrested about 12 hours after the
armed robbery occurred.

Both Leatherman and McKinney appeared in Catawba County
District Court in Newton on Wednesday on charges of armed
robbery. Bond for Leatherman was set at $15,000 secured, while
McKinney’s bond was set at $7,500.

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