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Posted on 10/05/2001 10:27:17 AM PDT by Constitution Day

Published: Friday, October 5, 2001 11:34 a.m. EDT

Thieves dig for money allegedly buried at Nash County home

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) -- Seven years after a cocaine dealer and his cohorts went to jail, someone is trying to uncover the money rumored to be buried at the dealer's former home.

Three times over the past three weeks, at least two men have used heavy equipment to try to dig under a dog kennel on property once owned by Mikey Pittman.

The suspects, working during the day while the new owners were at work, on one trip disabled the security gate at the front entrance of the property and off-loaded a backhoe to break up the concrete slab that was kennel's floor.

"My wife came home for lunch, and they had broken through the gate," said Steve Stroud, a Rocky Mount attorney who bought the house six-and-a-half years ago. "They came in with heavy equipment, and you can see where they took the backhoe off the truck.

"My wife called me and said, 'My God, here they go again.' ''

The first incident occurred Sept. 10, when someone used a jackhammer to break up the concrete under the eight 6-foot tall fenced-in pens. Two weeks later, the suspects used a backhoe.

On Wednesday, the Strouds' housekeeper spotted two men by the back fence of the property with shovels. She called the sheriff's department, but the suspects fled before deputies arrived on the scene.

Since then, investigators have tried to track down the suspects and quell any more rumors about hidden treasure.

The Pittman drug gang operated primarily in Nash County for a couple of decades until most of the gang members were arrested in 1993. Conservative estimates revealed during their hearings in 1994 say the Pittmans took in more than $200 million during a 13-year period.

Some believe tens of thousands of dollars still are buried throughout Nash County. Even federal authorities said at the time of the Pittman gang's downfall that there could be cash buried in various spots.

"Everybody has some gossip," Stroud said. "One guy says (the money is) under the pond, another says it's under the tennis courts.

"The authorities have checked the property with more than just dogs and metal detectors."

On Wednesday, under the direction of Nash County Sheriff Jimmy Grimes, an auxiliary deputy used a backhoe to finish what the two would-be treasure-hunters started.

"The reason why we're going to all this trouble -- we don't think there's anything down there, but we want to eliminate all the possibilities," Grimes said. "If we would locate anything in that hole, we would contact the federal authorities."

Investigators on Wednesday dug down at least 8 feet under the dog pens and discovered no buried treasure.

"We've never had any problems like this," Stroud said. "The house was torn all to pieces when I bought it, and there have always been rumors about the house -- rumors about secret rooms. But we put in new utilities, new walls, new insulation, new roof.

"Still, the rumors persist in little Rocky Mount. We've always laughed them off -- until now."

Pittman, 46, originally was sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence later was reduced to 35 years. Most of the high-ranking gang members were in their 40s when they were sentenced to long federal prison terms.

Officers did find a few items hidden in the woods behind Stroud's house that could lead to the suspected treasure hunters, including a powered two-man auger used to dig holes.

"I want to find out if there is any money or not," Stroud said. "If there is, get it out. If there's not, then leave us alone."

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