ASHEBORO N.C. – A local man who shot at officers during a standoff in Liberty back in 2020 has been indicted by a Grand Jury and is facing multiple charges including Felony Attempted Murder.
On September 13, 2020, deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office along with officers from the Liberty Police Department were dispatched to a residence on Hwy 49 N, just outside the Liberty city limits, regarding a domestic call and shots were fired inside the residence. The suspect, Robert Dwight Bender, had retreated into a structure behind the residence and the caller was safely removed from the house.
According to a press release from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office when officers approached the structure the suspect fired a shot in the direction of the officers. The Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team was called out to and once they arrived the suspect fired another shot toward officers.
Negotiations took place for several hours until late in the afternoon when the suspect was shot and transported to a local hospital for treatment. The SBI was called in to investigate the incident.
Warrants for Arrest were issued for Robert Dwight Bender for Felony Assault with Deadly Weapon on a Government Official, Felony Discharging a Weapon into an Occupied Dwelling/Moving Vehicle, Misdemeanor Assault by Pointing a Gun, Misdemeanor Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Misdemeanor Interfere with Emergency Communication, Misdemeanor Assault on a Female.
He was released from the area hospital on September 16th, 2020, and booked into the Randolph County Jail where he has remained incardinated under a $1,000,000 secured bond.
During the June 2021 session of Grand Jury true bills of indictment were issued Bender for Felony Attempted Murder and eight counts of Assault on Law Enforcement Officer with a Firearm. The indictment stemmed from a 2020 case investigated by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and SBI.
Today the Sheriff’s office announced that in the June 2022 session of Grand Jury, another true bill of indictment was issued for Bender for Felony Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. Bender was served with the indictments while in jail on the initial charges and received a secured bond of $25,000. A court date was set for July 11, 2022, in Randolph County Superior Court.
Robert Dwight Bender
- Assault On A Female
- Assault, Police, Firearm
- Assault By Pointing Gun
- Discharge Firearm Occ Property
- Assault on Law Enforcement Officer with a Firearm (8 Counts)
- Felony Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
$1,030,000 Secured Bond