Authorities: Brothers kidnapped, pistol-whipped Hoke residents

James Ray Bullard, 37, and Danny Ray Bullard, 32, both of 1310 Mount Zion Road, were charged with armed robbery, first-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. They were being held in the Hoke County jail under $1 million bonds.

A man and a woman were abducted from a house on North Lake Road in Hoke County at about 1:30 a.m. Monday night and were forced to drive at gunpoint to another location, where a second man was kidnapped, authorities said. All three were taken to a home in Red Springs, where the two men were pistol-whipped and punched with brass knuckles.

Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said the two kidnappers were looking for someone and used the harsh tactics to interrogate the men.

"We do know it was not a a drug-related situation. It was something somebody said – a he-said, she-said type of deal," Peterkin said. "All of this was (fueled by) anger."

The kidnappers then went to a home on Goose Pond Road in the county, where they tied up a fourth person and beat him for information, authorities said. After they left, that man was able to escape and run to his brother's house for help.

After returning to Red Springs, the kidnappers continued to interrogate the other men, but when they weren't able to get the information they wanted, they let the men and the women go, Peterkin said.

Deputies were able to find the kidnap victims, two of whom had to be taken to hospitals for treatment. Both were recovering at home Tuesday.

Investigators were able to identify the Bullard brothers as suspects in the case and arrested them as they tried to flee during a search of their home. A cache of weapons, drugs and other evidence was seized during the search, authorities said.