An attempted marijuana vape purchase near Parkwood High School in Monroe turned violent when the buyer was robbed and assaulted at gunpoint, according to Union County sheriff’s investigators. Detectives say they identified two suspects in the holdup, Jayden Watts and Courtney Massey Jr., and both are now behind bars.
In a post from the Union County Sheriff's Office, investigators said they obtained arrest warrants for Watts and Massey, then began surveillance at a possible Monroe address tied to Watts. The post notes that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assisted Union County detectives during the investigation.
According to the sheriff’s office, Monroe Police Department’s ACE unit stopped a vehicle and arrested Watts. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s VCAT unit, working with NCSBI, located Massey in north Charlotte. “VCU detectives took custody of and transported” Massey to Union County, the sheriff’s office wrote.
Where the arrests happened
Investigators say most of the law enforcement activity tied to the case centered near Parkwood High School in Monroe. The campus serves grades 9 through 12 in Union County Public Schools, according to Parkwood High School.
Custody and next steps
Both Watts and Massey are being held at the Union County Detention Center, where, according to the sheriff’s post, they are being held without bond. The facility houses pretrial detainees for the county, and the sheriff’s website provides visitation and contact details for the jail through the Union County Sheriff's Office Detention Division.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the robbery to contact the Union County Sheriff’s Office. The agency’s Facebook post includes photos and additional details on the case for those who may be able to help.
