LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Charlotte man accused of carrying out a string of vehicle break‑ins across eastern Lincoln County.
Investigators say the crimes happened overnight between March 23 and April 7, with many victims reporting smashed windows and stolen items, including firearms and electronics.
Deputies identified 26‑year‑old Dalton Dion Hopkins after a pursuit on April 7. They spotted a suspicious vehicle with a temporary tag covering a North Carolina plate, but the driver sped away.
The chase ended near Brown Mill Road in Huntersville, where the driver ran off. Hopkins later reported the vehicle stolen to CMPD, but investigators found inconsistencies in his story.
A search warrant on the vehicle recovered property stolen during the break‑ins. CMPD later executed a search warrant at Hopkins’ home in an unrelated case and found additional firearms linked to the Lincoln County crimes.
Evidence ultimately placed Hopkins at the break‑in scenes and behind the wheel during the pursuit.
Hopkins is charged with more than 40 offenses, including 20 counts of breaking or entering a motor vehicle, multiple firearm‑related charges, larceny, possession of stolen goods, property damage, and felony fleeing to elude arrest.
He is being held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center under a $220,000 secured bond, with additional no‑bond charges.
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