State v. Williamson

CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedNovember 5, 2025
Docket25-206
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Williamson (State v. Williamson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Williamson, (N.C. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

An unpublished opinion of the North Carolina Court of Appeals does not constitute controlling legal authority. Citation is disfavored, but may be permitted in accordance with the provisions of Rule 30(e)(3) of the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure.

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA

No. COA25-206

Filed 5 November 2025

Durham County, No. 21CR054436-310

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

v.

TONY LAMOND WILLIAMSON

Appeal by defendant from judgment entered 25 October 2023 by Judge

Shamieka Lacher Rhinehart in Durham County Superior Court. Heard in the Court

of Appeals 10 September 2025.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson, by Assistant Attorney General Brent D. Kiziah, for the State.

Cooper Strickland for defendant.

FREEMAN, Judge.

Defendant appeals from judgment entered upon a jury verdict of guilty on the

charges of felonious breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and

conspiracy to commit felonious breaking and entering. On appeal, defendant argues

the trial court (1) erred by denying defendant’s motions to dismiss; and (2) plainly STATE V. WILLIAMSON

Opinion of the Court

erred by allowing the indictments and judgments of non-testifying co-defendants into

evidence. After careful review, we conclude that the trial court did not err in denying

defendant’s motions to dismiss, and did not plainly err by allowing into evidence the

indictments and judgments of non-testifying co-defendants. We dismiss defendant’s

ineffective assistance of counsel claim without prejudice.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

The evidence presented at trial tended to show the following. On 22 July 2021,

Nathan Glines was spending the night at his father’s duplex located at 1209 Linwood

Avenue in Durham County. Nathan was sleeping in Apartment B of the duplex,

connected to Apartment A, to “protect the property” due to a series of break-ins that

had occurred in the surrounding community. Nathan was also there to protect a

recently delivered clothes dryer, which was still in its cardboard box. Further,

Nathan had a scheduled meeting with contractors at the property the next morning.

Shortly after midnight, Nathan was awoken by the noise of a rock going

through the window of Apartment A. Nathan then heard three male voices speaking

to each other, the breaking of window glass, and the movement of the recently

delivered clothes dryer. While still inside the duplex, Nathan called the police to

report an active break-in. Nathan remotely activated his car alarm, ran to his car,

and turned on the car’s lights while the three men were attempting to remove the

dryer from the duplex. Nathan then heard three male voices speaking “really fast”

and saw the three men fleeing from the neighbor’s lawn. Nathan testified that he

-2- STATE V. WILLIAMSON

determined the three men had removed the dryer from its cardboard box, carried it

out of the bedroom in Apartment A, out of the back door of the duplex, and into the

neighbor’s yard, where it was abandoned when the three departed.

Officers from the Durham Police Department responded to Nathan’s call and

secured the area. While inspecting the scene, investigators located a rock and broken

glass in the bedroom of Apartment A and found that a large piece of cardboard had

been placed over the windowsill in the bedroom.

Investigators found twelve latent fingerprints on the dryer. Six of defendant’s

fingerprints were discovered on the top and right-hand side of the dryer.

Investigators found the fingerprints of Gary Faucette on the north window frame

exterior, top, and side of the clothes dryer. Investigators also found the fingerprints

of Celledric Conrad on the exterior of the north window frame. Additionally,

investigators found one unidentified latent fingerprint on top of the dryer. Charges

were brought against defendant, Conrad, and Faucette for the 22 July 2021 offense

because of the fingerprint evidence found at the scene and the fact that the dryer was

“large and unwieldy and required multiple people to carry.”

On 20 September 2021, the grand jury indicted defendant for breaking and

entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and conspiracy with Conrad and

Faucette to commit the felony of breaking and entering. On 12 September 2022,

Faucette pleaded guilty to attempted breaking or entering and felony conspiracy.

Similarly, Conrad pleaded guilty to felony breaking and entering on 6 February 2023.

-3- STATE V. WILLIAMSON

Defendant’s matter came on for trial on 23 October 2023 in Durham County

Superior Court. The State called several witnesses over the course of the trial;

however, neither Conrad nor Faucette were called to testify.

Crystal Denison, Assistant Superior Court Clerk of Durham County, testified

about the indictments and judgments of Conrad and Faucette. During Denison’s

testimony, the State moved to have State’s Exhibits 11 and 12, Conrad’s judgment

and indictment, respectively, introduced into evidence as self-authenticating

documents. Defendant did not object to the admission of these documents, and the

evidence was admitted.

Denison then began to read the judgment against Conrad to the jury. Denison

stated that the offense date of Conrad’s judgment was 22 July 2021 and that Conrad

had pleaded guilty to felony breaking and entering. When the State asked Denison

to read Conrad’s indictment, defense counsel objected to the reading of the judgment

and indictment on relevancy and hearsay grounds, which the trial court overruled.

Denison then read the indictment of Conrad to the jury:

A. The jurors for the State upon their oath present that on or about the date of the offense shown and in the county named above, [Conrad] unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did break and enter a building located at 1209 L[i]nwood Avenue, Apartment A, Durham, NC, with the attempt to commit a felony there in statute 14-54(a).

Q. And as to Count 2 in the indictment for Celledric Conrad.

A. Also, the jurors of the State upon their oath present that

-4- STATE V. WILLIAMSON

on or about the date of the offense shown and in the county named above, [Conrad] unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did steal, take, and carry away a [clothes dryer] from the personal property of David Glines, pursuant to a violation of Section 14-54 of North Carolina General Statute 14-72(b)(2).

Q. And as to Count 3.

A. Also, the jurors of the State upon their oath present that on or about the date of offense shown and in the county named above, [Conrad] unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did conspire with [defendant] and [Faucette] to commit felony breaking and entering G.S. 14-54 against David and Lisa Glines.

The State subsequently moved to introduce the judgment and indictment of

Faucette into evidence, marked as State’s Exhibits 13 and 14, respectively. Defense

counsel did not object to the admission of these exhibits, and the evidence was

admitted. Denison then read the judgment and indictment of Faucette to the jury:

Q. And turning now to States Exhibit 13, the record of judgment or conviction worksheet. What, if any, file number is shown in the judgment?

A. 21 CRS 54434.

Q. And turning to State’s Exhibit 14, what, if any, file number is shown in the indictment?

Q.

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Williamson, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-williamson-ncctapp-2025.