Salisbury man charged with intimidating witness

Published 10:08 am Friday, September 2, 2016

By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was charged, police say, after he went to the home of a witness involved in a case and was recorded threatening the witness.

Salisbury Police charged Andrew Richard Canup, 62, of the 600 block of Rowan Mill Road, with felony intimidating a witness. Officials also served an outstanding warrant for misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.

Police received a call Thursday just after 8:30 p.m. regarding someone who was communicating threats in the 800 block of South Jackson Street. A report said Canup went to the witness’s house and started shouting from the road.

“I’ll see you in court if you last that long,” Canup told the witness.

The victim had a recording device at the home that confirmed the incident, said Police Capt. Shelia Lingle.

The victim told Canup to leave and he then went to the Rowan County Magistrate’s Office and took out a private warrant. Police arrested Canup early Friday morning at Nashville Nights.

He remains in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $6,000 secured bond. Canup is expected in court later this month on trespassing and injury to property charges.

He is currently on probation for an April conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction.

Canup was arrested in January after he fired a shotgun from his pickup outside a bar near Lee and Fisher streets and then sped off. No one was injured. A Salisbury Police officer was in the area and caught up with Canup, who initially denied having a shotgun. The officer saw the gun partially hidden in the truck underneath a blanket as well as a rifle in the floorboard.

The barrel of Canup’s shotgun had been sawed off. It was not clear at that time why Canup fired the shotgun.