By Michael D. Martin, E.C.P.D.
Retired
About the author...Michael Martin (pictured front row, far right in the 1981 photo) is a retired veteran of 25 years on the Eden City Police Department, and has penned a number of anecdotal writings recalling his experiences.
XXXVII. The Builder's Mart Burglary
I believe this was '72 or 73. Our Chief was Marshall Owen Clark, the
toughest "street cop in America" and a better than average
detective. We affectionately called him Mo. Marshall taught me the way to
deal with informants and I learned well. At this time, Mo had an informant
named Bobby Ray (last name omitted) Bobby Ray was supposed to be a real
criminal and Mo had a case hanging over his head and Bobby offered to trade
the case for a bigger one. Bobby Ray told Mo that he had spoken to some
little thugs that were planning to burglarize the old Builder's Mart on
Bridge Street and steal all the guns.
Back then, the Builder's Mart was owned by John
Smith and Rick Orrell ran the store part and Melvin Orrell supervised the
shop, "Coonie Bowers" was the main carpenter and all Eden
construction men knew that the "Builder's Mart" was the place to
go to get all their building needs. Because of Rick, the "Builder's
Mart also carried a complete line of hunting and fishing supplies, this
included a cabinet of fine hunting rifles.
Bobby Ray told Mo Clark that he was supposed to
meet these thugs on an early Sunday morning and buy the guns from the thugs.
Eden PD went into a planning mode and I was
supposed to enter the shop across the railroad tracks and monitor the rear
door of the Builder's Mart. At ten o'clock, John Smith III and went to the
shop and sneaked in and he was to show me, in pitch black dark, where I
could observe, once in, we heard a noise and it came from behind a door. I
opened the door and saw a person standing there, I snatched him out of the
room and heard John's big automatic pistol being cocked near my head. The
fella said "uh...uh...I just came in to use the phone! Before our
operation had even begun, we had captured a burglar not associated to our
operation. John and I arrested him and took him to Eden, PD and hurried back
to the mart. We went in again and John Showed me a place where there was a
BB sized hole in the glass, that had been painted on the outside. This hole
overlooked the railroad track and by peering thru the hole, a man could see
the back door of the store. I had a walkie talkie and John left to join the
command group at the Eden, PD offices. Officers Frankie Ray Watkins
and Wayne Carter were in place, hidden, or moving very little in the
Leaksville business section.
Very late in the night, I heard a noise and peered
out and saw two young men running down the railroad track from the area of
Raymond Martin's Insurance Office. They came to the rear door, about five
foot from me. Rick Orrell had left the bar off the rear door in anticipation
of the burglary so there would not be too much damage. When the burglars hit
the door, it came open easily and the burglars laughed and said "the
fools forgot to bar the door, lucky for us." and they went in...I hit
the carrier on my walkie and told Mo Clark that the burglars were here and
they were in. I listened to the breaking of the gun case and watched thru my
peephole as the two burglars came out the back door, each carrying several
guns, in each hand, by the barrels. Frankie Ray Watkins and Wayne Carter
eased out and began to close the distance.
Then, the unexpected happened, the greedy fellows
came back for a second trip, I watched them enter the store a second time
and when they were in, I advised Mo Clark what was going on and Frank and
Wayne slowed a bit and waited...They came out with of the last of the guns
and ran to the waiting car in Raymond Martin's parking lot, they threw the
guns in the back seat and piled in and as they left the parking lot, Frankie
Ray Watkins and Wayne Carter made a routine stop on the car and asked the
driver, a female, what they were doing in the parking lot so late at night??
Then they shined their flashlights in the car and saw numerous
weapons.....This whole gang went to prison for years and never knew Bobby
Ray had set them up.
Michael D. Martin