Hamlet man charged with illegal possession of firearms

HAMLET — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Hamlet man with illegally owning three firearms.

Joseph Charles Perakis, 42, is charged with three felony counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Additionally, Perakis received one felony count each of carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and was charged with offenses stemming from an outstanding warrant from March 9 relating to a stolen rifle that was recovered in Winston-Salem.

An investigator was on Eddie’s Lane in Hamlet on an unrelated incident and observed the suspect leaving a residence, according to a press release. The investigator was aware of the outstanding warrant for Perakis and conducted a traffic stop on Mt. Moriah Church Road.

As the suspect was exiting his vehicle, deputies could see a box of ammunition on a center console and a handgun on the back floorboard.

Perakis was taken into custody. Upon a further inspection, deputies located two handguns and a semi-automatic rifle with extra magazines and rounds.

Records with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety reveal that Perakis has prior convictions for misdemeanor property crimes and selling a Schedule VI controlled substance in 2013.

Perakis was processed into the Richmond County Jail and placed under a $179,000 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in District Court on March 31.