Moore County Detention Center Inmate Search

The current Moore County Detention Center was finished in 2011 and cost $32.2 million. It was built in response to overcrowding. At the time the jail was being debated by the county, the Sheriff said many of the women inmates were having to sleep on the floor because of a lack of beds.

On December 8, 2011, Moore County Deputy Sheriff Richard Rhyne was sent on a trespassing call on Morrison Bridge Road. He found two brothers there and questioned them. One of the brothers had an outstanding warrant for child support. He did not want to be arrested, so he pulled a pistol. During the incident, the man shot Deputy Rhyne. The man then turned the gun on himself when he realized what he had done and committed suicide.

The mayor of Taylortown was brought in for a short visit in 2007. Ulysses Barrett was arrested for three misdemeanors stemming from abuse of power to help his business. He was acquitted on one charge and the other two were dropped in 2009.

On March 29, 2009, Robert Stewart went to the Pinelake Health and Rehab Center looking for his estranged wife. He found her car, though it was empty. He shot it up. Michael Cotten was pulling in to visit someone at the center that specializes in helping Alzheimer's patients. Stewart opened fire on Cotten and wounded him in the shoulder. Cotten was able to run in and warn people about Stewart. Stewart entered the center, where his mother also worked, while his estranged wife hid. Stewart walked around and went to the area that had patients with Alzheimer's. While nurses and other employees tried to get the patients to safety, Stewart killed seven. Some of the patients he killed were in wheelchairs. He also killed nurse Jerry Avant. Carthage Police Corporal Justin Garner had been dispatched to the scene. Garner found Stewart and confronted him. Garner was shot in the leg with a shotgun and Stewart was hit in the chest.

In the court case, the defense said that the issue was caused by a two-year use of Ambien to treat sleep issues. People said that Stewart was known to have a bad temper. Witnesses at the scene said that Stewart was acting calmly through the entire shooting. Using the fact that there were several firearms at the scene, that the act was planned out. The jury found him guilty of eight counts of second-degree murder and various other charges. Garner lived and was heralded a hero, while the Carthage Police Chief said he was just doing as he was trained.