A Rowan County man already in the county jail on an attempted murder charge was recently found with a cell phone inside his jail cell, authorities say.
Timani D’Ante Stark, 21, was charged with misdemeanor possession of phone or electronic device in the detention center, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said. It is not clear where Stark got the cell phone.
When someone told jail officers that Stark had a phone, they searched Stark’s jail cell and then searched Stark. The cell phone was found on Stark, who was reluctant to hand it over, a report said.
Stark twisted the phone and broke it in half before handing it over to officers. Department reports said Stark was not cooperative and did not tell authorities where he got the phone.
Stark has been in the Rowan County jail under $1 million since his September 2010 arrest. He was charged following a 2009 home invasion where authorities said Stark and three others robbed a western Rowan home and later returned when the homeowners reported the theft to law enforcement. The suspects exchanged gunfire with the homeowner and the homeowner’s son.
Johnathan Esquire Williams, who was shot during the shootout, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for his involvement.
Stark has been convicted of felony breaking and entering and attempted felony breaking and entering stemming from a 2008 incident in Cabarrus County.