Two men who were spotted in the act of stealing aluminum from a house on Highway 186 managed to elude the officers who thwarted the theft this morning.
Garysburg Police Chief Melvin Garner and Lieutenant David Twine of the Northampton County Sheriff's Office observed the men around 10 a.m., Garner said.
The men ran into the woods off Washington Street. Officers from Jackson, Seaboard and Roanoke Rapids, as well as the sheriff's office, assisted in the search, looking in a couple of abandoned houses obscured by trees and other vegetation.
The people are described as two black males, one wearing a hooded jacket or sweatshirt and the other wearing a baseball cap and black jeans.
One man stood between 5-feet, 6-inches tall to 5-feet, 7-inches. The other stood around 5-feet, 9-inches.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the police department at 252-536-2167 or the Northampton County Sheriff's Office at 252-534-2611.