An Elizabeth City man released from Albemarle District Jail on Monday was back there just six hours later facing new charges, including for stealing a truck and then leading sheriff’s deputies on a chase in the southwestern part of the county.
Michael Lee Volberding, 33, of the 700 block of Cherry Glad Road, was being detained at the jail early Monday evening on four charges, Major Aaron Wallio of the Pasquotank Sheriff’s Office said. Volberding had not yet seen a magistrate to have a bond set, Wallio said.
Volberding had been released from the jail Monday about 2:06 p.m., according to jail officials. He was release after apparently posting a $500 secured bond for felony and misdemeanor larceny charges connected to the theft of two generators in late July and an EGO mower in early August from the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Elizabeth City.
According to Wallio, following his release, Volberding walked from the jail on Executive Drive to the American Builders and Contractors Supply Company store on Commerce Drive where he stole a 2022 International truck. Volberding then drove the truck to the U.S. Highway 17 Bypass where he headed south toward Perquimans County, Wallio said.
The Pasquotank Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the theft of the truck and soon deputies caught up to Volberding on the bypass just south of the Walmart exit, Wallio said. Volberding refused to stop, however, and turned off the bypass onto Foreman Bundy Road, Wallio said.
From there, Volberding turned left onto Mount Hermon Church Road, then right onto Methodist Church Road, then left on Pasquotank Station Road and then back to Foreman Bundy Road. Volberding then crossed into Perquimans County where he drove into the Cameron Village subdivision which has only one way in and one way out, Wallio said. Volberding crashed the truck near the entrance of the subdivision, driving the truck into a ditch, Wallio said.
After Volberding was taken into custody, he was transported to the Pasquotank Sheriff’s Office, where deputies began obtaining criminal warrants charging him with theft of the truck and fleeing law enforcement, Wallio said.
But as he was being processed, Volberding claimed to suffer a medical emergency, Wallio said. Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Medical Services personnel were called and Volberding was transported by EMS personnel to Sentara Albemarle Medical Center.
Because Volberding had not yet been served with criminal warrants, he was not restrained while at the hospital, Wallio said. He walked away from the hospital about 5:24 p.m. but was soon spotted by an Elizabeth City police officer after hospital officials alerted law enforcement that he had left.
Volberding was seen heading into a wooded area behind a convenience store on North Road Street, Wallio said. When he emerged from the wooded area, he was apprehended by a sheriff’s deputy and taken back into custody, Wallio said. Only about 24 minutes elapsed from the time he left the hospital to the time he was recaptured.
Back at the Sheriff’s Office, Volberding was charged with felony larceny of a motor vehicle, felony fleeing to elude law enforcement, careless and reckless driving and driving while license revoked. He was admitted back into the jail at 8:44 p.m.
Wallio said a deputy would have accompanied Volberding to the hospital if he had already been served with warrants for those charges. As it happened, Volberding had been detained but not formally charged when he claimed to be suffering a medical emergency and was transported to the hospital.
According to online court records, Volberding has previous convictions for other other crimes. In April of this year, he pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while license revoked and was sentenced by District Court Judge Robert Trivette to serve 14 days in jail and pay $323 in court costs. He was credited with already serving 14 days in jail prior to his conviction. He also has a 2022 conviction for driving while license revoked and a 2016 conviction for misdemeanor larceny.
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