A 43-year-old Taylorsville man is being held without bond after what began as a reported gun theft off Millersville Road escalated into an armed robbery and a pursuit that ended in a neighboring county. Jose Angel Rios Jr. now faces a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges, including robbery with a dangerous weapon, following the rapid chain of events that unfolded over roughly a day in Alexander County.
According to the Alexander County Sheriff's Office, deputies first responded on September 13 to a reported larceny at a residence off Millersville Road, where a firearm had been stolen from the victim. Deputies searched for a suspect using drones overnight, but were unable to locate anyone at that time, the sheriff's office said. Independent reporting by WHKY confirmed the multi-agency operation and timeline, describing the overnight drone search as the first phase of what would become a much larger response.
Reported Car Theft Turns Out to Be Armed Robbery
Deputies were later dispatched back to the same area regarding a reported motor vehicle theft, only to determine that the incident was actually an armed robbery, per the sheriff's office. Investigators say the suspect threatened the victim with a firearm and demanded the victim's vehicle keys before fleeing in the stolen vehicle. While searching for another vehicle to steal at other area residences, the suspect allegedly stole a second firearm from a nearby vehicle, according to the same account.
The response involved both county sheriff's offices, as Catawba County Sheriff's Office deputies stopped the stolen vehicle following a pursuit into Catawba County and took the suspect into custody. The Alexander County Sheriff's Office publicly thanked its Catawba County counterparts for their assistance in apprehending the suspect.
Charges Carry Serious Prison Exposure
Rios was arrested and charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, felony larceny of a motor vehicle, felony breaking and entering a motor vehicle with theft, two counts of felony larceny of a firearm, and two counts of misdemeanor assault by pointing a gun, according to the sheriff's office. The breaking-and-entering and vehicle-larceny charges are among the charges listed by the sheriff's office, while Harkey Litigation discusses larceny classifications.
The robbery charge represents the most serious count Rios faces. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-87, robbery with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum potential sentence of up to 204 months in state prison under the state's structured sentencing rules, according to King Law Offices. The two firearm larceny counts also carry felony weight regardless of the guns' value: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-72(b)(4) automatically classifies stealing a firearm as a Class H felony, punishable by up to 39 months per count, per the Powers Law Firm. The two assault charges, meanwhile, fall under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-34, which designates assault by pointing a gun as a Class A1 misdemeanor — the highest non-felony tier in North Carolina — according to the Beaver Courie Law Firm.
Suspect Held Without Bond Ahead of Court Date
Rios is currently being held at the Alexander County Detention Center in Taylorsville, which has a rated capacity of 152 and is operated under Sheriff Chad Pennell, according to the Alexander County Sheriff's Office. He is being held under no bond and has a first court appearance scheduled for September 21, per WACB.
The Millersville Road corridor where the incidents began has been the site of other significant law enforcement operations in recent months. WACB reported that a January 2026 traffic stop in the same area resulted in three arrests and the seizure of 173 grams of methamphetamine. The sheriff's office says the Rios case remains under investigation.
The case also lands amid a broader statewide pattern; the sources cited here do not specify robbery's 2023 ranking or rate in North Carolina. Whether additional firearm-related charges emerge from other jurisdictions remains to be seen as the investigation continues.
