Amanda Thames
The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — An Onslow County inmate accused of trying to escape failed in the attempt.
Jack Joseph Pekkala, 28, of Quail Point Drive in Hubert was arrested by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday and charged with felony attempted escape, misdemeanor assault on a government official or employee, and misdemeanor resisting a public officer.
Pekkala, in the custody of a deputy, was being treated at Onslow Memorial Hospital when he allegedly tried to escape by throwing a sheet over the deputy’s face and trying to run away, according to warrants.
The deputy tased Pekkala, according to warrants, and he remains in Onslow County Jail. Additional details, including why Pekkala needed hospital treatment, were not immediately available.
Pekkala was in jail under a $102,500 bond after being arrested for charges of felony second-degree kidnapping, felony robbery with a dangerous weapon, felony obtaining property by false pretenses, and felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle after being accused of robbing Moe’s Mart in Maysville, using a shotgun to steal $200, driving off in a stolen 2006 Hyundai Tucson, and stealing $38.50 in gas from GoGas in Swansboro.
The most recent charges add an additional $5,000 to Pekkala’s bond, according to court documents.
This isn’t the first time Pekkala has had charges brought against him while in jail. According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Pekkala was convicted of malicious conduct of a prisoner on Feb. 7, 2012 in Alexander County.
Pekkala’s record includes previous convictions in Onslow County for larceny over $200 on June 14, 2007; contributing to the delinquency of a minor, damage to property, and second-degree burglary on Sept. 26, 2007; and breaking and entering a house of worship and first-degree burglary on March 5, 2008, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Pekkala has additional charges pending in Onslow County district court for which he has upcoming court dates: April 19 for a charge of felony possession of a firearm by a felon and May 1 for the charge of misdemeanor attempted breaking and entering a building, according to N.C. Courts.
He was scheduled to be in Carteret County district court Wednesday for a felony charge of larceny of a motor vehicle.
©2018 The Daily News (Jacksonville, N.C.)