Brothers charged with robbing and beating elderly man | Crime

SALISBURY - Two brothers are in jail for twice robbing an elderly man at his business, and deputies say during the second robbery they struck the 72 year old man in the head with a tire tool.

Investigators say William McCrary, 23, and his brother Christopher McCrary, 19, robbed Gerald Burkhart at his business late last week.  Burkhart owns and operates the Indoor Flea Market on Highway 29 near China Grove.  According to the report, the brothers took a ladder to the store and tried to sell it to Burkhart, then robbed him.

Late Tuesday afternoon the brothers struck again, according to the report.  Burkhart was robbed and hit in the head with a tire tool.  Burkhart was treated at the scene by Rowan EMS personnel.

Deputies say the brothers ran away with a little more than $400 in cash, but they didn't get very far.  Deputies had already developed the brothers as suspects in the first robbery, so when the report came in on the second robbery, deputies went to the McCrary home at 215 Grants Creek Road in Salisbury.  They say they found one of the brothers along with blood stained money.  The second brother was found minutes later.

Both brothers are now in jail, each facing a charge of common law robbery for the Friday incident, one charge each of robbery with a dangerous weapon, and assault on an officer.