BY MATTHEW WINTER
SALISBURY POST

KANNAPOLIS – A local vigilante walked out of jail Tuesday, free on bond, hours after police arrested and charged him with four counts of first-degree kidnapping.

Darrell Bernard Wells, 32, of 506 Broad St., also faces weapons charges stemming from an incident last week when he allegedly detained four young men he suspected of ransacking his home.

It began just after midnight on March 31, when Wells returned home and discovered burglars had torn apart his home, according to Capt. J.W. Chavis.

Wells, who apparently works for a Charlotte construction firm, talked with his neighbors about the break in, got a description and took off after the burglars in his vehicle.

A few blocks away, he found four young men between 15 and 20 who apparently fit the description. When Wells confronted them, they took off running, Chavis said.

He gave chase in his car and caught up with them at South Rose Avenue and Old Centergrove Road, Chavis said.

Witnesses say Wells detained the young men by firing a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun into the air, Chavis said. He ordered the young men to lie on the ground, then get into his vehicle.

Responding to 911 calls concerning gunshots, Kannapolis police officers found the four young men and Wells in the vehicle. After ordering everyone out one by one, the officers found a handgun under the front seat, its serial numbers filed off.

Police arrested Wells for possession of a firearm by a felon. Wells posted bond that night. After talking with the four young men Wells had detained, police determined they had nothing to do with the break in and released them.

Police secured warrants, tracked Wells down and arrested him again April 5 for four counts of first-degree kidnapping. Wells posted a $50,000 bond and walked free hours after entering the Cabarrus County jail, according to jail officials.