Durham police seized 14 firearms, including two reported stolen and two modified into machine guns, after executing a search warrant in the 10th block of Moore Place on September 25. Four adults and four juveniles now face charges connected to the raid, part of a broader pattern of vehicle break-ins and firearm thefts that has rattled Durham and surrounding Triangle communities throughout 2026.
Investigators also recovered firearm accessories, ammunition and a small quantity of narcotics from the home, according to wptf.com. Kaleon Pruden, 18; Sherod Thomas, 18; and Tiffany Tapp, 44, were arrested and are listed as Durham residents, while Markel Howell, 21, of Chapel Hill, was also apprehended — though the seed report reviewed by WRAL identifies the same suspect as Mark Howell, 21, a discrepancy that remains unresolved in available records.
Seven Charge Types, Four Juveniles Kept Anonymous
The four adults were charged with seven types of offenses tied to the search, including possession of a weapon of mass destruction, possession of a machine gun, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of stolen goods, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a Schedule VI controlled substance, maintaining a dwelling for controlled-substance use or sale, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Four juveniles were also charged in connection with the investigation, but the same report notes that Durham police will not release any information identifying the juveniles or specifying their individual charges.
North Carolina law classifies automatic firearms as weapons of mass destruction under G.S. 14-288.8, the statute governing the manufacture, possession, sale and transport of such weapons. Juvenile-record confidentiality in the state is separately governed by G.S. 7B-2901, which restricts the release of identifying details in cases involving minors.
Part Of A Citywide Pattern
The Moore Place seizure lands amid what the Durham County Sheriff's Office has described as a marked increase in vehicle break-ins since the start of 2026, particularly around Research Triangle Park, per the same wptf.com report from May. That uptick has already produced other arrests this year: in May, 18-year-old Lester Mayo was arrested in Cary in connection with additional break-ins reported across Durham, Wake County and several Triangle municipalities, with authorities saying at the time that they expected further arrests and juvenile petitions in that investigation.
A separate case in December resulted in more than 150 charges against two teens, aged 12 to 16, whom police believed were responsible for 33 vehicle break-ins and four stolen vehicles across more than a dozen Durham locations, including two blocks of Carroll Street, according to ABC11. Taken together, the cases point to a recurring cycle in Durham of stolen vehicles feeding into stolen firearms, with juveniles repeatedly implicated alongside adults.
Police Seek Tips As Investigation Continues
Durham police have not detailed how the Moore Place search connects to any specific prior break-in, but the department is asking anyone with information to call its investigators at 919-560-4440 ext. 29357. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.
