UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Union County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about an armed robbery near Landsford Road on Thursday.
Tyler Helms, 28, called 911 and reported that two men had robbed at gunpoint as he was riding in a truck. He said they took his grandmother’s John Deere lawn mower, officials said.
The suspects and the victim struggled, but then suspects got away in the end and he was left covered in mud. Or, that’s what Helms told deputies.
Deputies said, before long, Helms’ story stopped making sense. He told deputies that he could call the robbers and ask them to return the lawn mower.
“For those unfamiliar with standard ‘robber’ protocol, no, it’s not standard practice for armed robbers to hand over their contact information to their potential victims or willingly return stolen goods,” UCSO said in a Facebook post.
The two alleged robbers showed up with the lawnmower and showed deputies that they had purchased the lawnmower from Helms through Facebook Marketplace. He had told them it was his to sell, according to officials.
But deputies said Helms stole the lawnmower from his grandmother, then sold it online, rolled in the mud and called 911.
The Sheriff responded, “Bless his heart.”
The lawnmower was returned to Helms’ grandmother and he was arrested and charged with felony larceny, obtaining property by false pretenses and filing a false report to law enforcement.
He had previously been arrested and was actively out on parole. He is now in custody without bond, according to UCSO.
WATCH: SWAT, deputies engage in standoff with Clover grandmother
©2025 Cox Media Group
