Wilkesboro, NC — On Thursday, May 21, 2026, at approximately 5:00 p.m., Wilkes County 911 dispatched officers with the Wilkesboro Police Department to an armed robbery reported in the parking lot area of Brushy Mountain Powersports.
The caller advised communications personnel that the suspects had fled the scene traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 421 in a gold Toyota Avalon. Shortly after the broadcast, a member of the Wilkesboro Fire Department observed the suspect vehicle traveling southbound in the area of U.S. Highway 421 and U.S. Highway 421 Business and immediately radioed the vehicle’s location to responding law enforcement officers.
A Trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol located the vehicle near N.C. Highway 16 South and conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 16 South near Food Lion in Wilkesboro. Troopers detained the occupants of the vehicle without incident. During the stop, officers located two handguns inside the vehicle.
Officers with the Wilkesboro Police Department responded to the traffic stop location to assist the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Following the stop, the Highway Patrol turned custody of the suspects over to the Wilkesboro Police Department to continue the criminal investigation.
The suspects, identified as Kristopher Clayton Ward, 20, of Wilderness LN, Taylorsville, and a 15-year-old juvenile, were transported to the Wilkesboro Police Department for questioning.
Kristopher Clayton Ward
• Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon
• Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery
• Possession of a Stolen Firearm
• Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor
The juvenile suspect was turned over to Juvenile Services for secured custody. Juvenile petitions were obtained for the following offenses:
• Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon
• Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery
• Assault by Pointing a Firearm
• Possession of a Firearm by a Juvenile
The investigation remains ongoing and has determined that the robbery did not involve the business itself. The incident occurred between two parties who had arranged to meet in the parking lot for reasons unrelated to Brushy Mountain Powersports or its operations.
The Wilkesboro Police Department would like to thank the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Wilkesboro Fire Department for their quick actions and assistance in bringing this incident to a safe conclusion