On January 6, 2026, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office reported that members of the NVSU-Criminal Interdiction Team (C.I.T.) arrested Jerry King Locklear on charges related to drugs and firearms.
According to law enforcement, detectives with the C.I.T. observed a vehicle driving erratically on Rockfish Road near Galatia Church Road, crossing into the opposite lane. Officers conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Jerry King Locklear.
Mr. Locklear admitted his driver’s license was revoked. Based on observations at the scene, officers used a canine to search the vehicle. The canine alerted positively, leading detectives to conduct a physical search of the car.
During this search, officers found a loaded .22 caliber revolver between the driver seat and console. They also discovered suspected crack cocaine and a glass smoking pipe. Mr. Locklear was placed under arrest. Authorities later learned he was a convicted felon.
He was transported to the Hoke County Detention Center and charged with possession of firearm by convicted felon, possession of cocaine, carrying concealed weapon, driving while license revoked, and failure to maintain lane control.
Mr. Locklear is being held without bond due to previous violent offenses.
In other local news about education in Hoke County, recent data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction shows that only 11.2% of senior students taking the science portion of the ACT in Hoke County school districts were considered ready for college during the 2022-23 school year (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). Among juniors taking the same test, 13% met college readiness standards (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). For reading, 24.9% of seniors and 25.4% of juniors were deemed college-ready (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). In math, 12.9% of seniors and 17.1% of juniors reached college readiness benchmarks (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/).
