A classic highway bandit trick was dusted off and used with success to rob a driver in rural North Carolina, investigators say.
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It happened around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday south of Warrenton, and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office says it is still trying “to determine if this is an isolated incident or a greater threat to the general public.”
Warrenton is about a 55-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.
The victim had just gotten off from work, the sheriff’s office said in a July 10 news release.
“While traveling home, he came across a log in the road on the Parktown/Baltimore Road, just up from the Waste Industries drop-off site,” the sheriff’s office said.
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“He stated that he was robbed by gun point, after he got out to move the log, by three masked men, who were waiting in the woods. The person stated that they were robbed of their cash.”
Investigators did not report the man was injured.
Maps show the site of the incident is sparsely populated.
“If you were traveling through the Parktown/Inez Road area during this time and date, and saw anything relevant … please contact the Warren County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff’s office said.
This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 9:04 AM with the headline “Bandits put log in road, ambush driver when he gets out to move it, NC sheriff says.”
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