96-YEAR-OLD DENIES COCAINE CHARGE

7 Crack Rocks Found on Seat of Her Wheelchair

KINGS MOUNTAIN - A 96-year-old Cleveland County woman said Friday she
didn't know how she ended up sitting in her wheelchair on seven rocks of
crack cocaine when sheriff's deputies raided her house Monday.

"I've never seen them in my life," said Julia Roberts, of 128 Goforth Road,
who was released from jail after being charged with possession of crack
cocaine with intent to sell and deliver. "I don't know how they could get
there."

But according to the search warrant affidavit, it's the third time
Cleveland County deputies have seized crack cocaine at Roberts' home, which
she shared with a son. An informant told deputies that Julia Roberts hid
crack in her prosthetic leg during a previous search, according to the
affidavit.

Capt. Bobby Steen of the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office implicated
Roberts, two of her sons and a neighbor in a scheme to trade crack for
stolen property, mostly jewelry and guns. He said the information came from
burglary suspects.

Harold Roberts, 61, was charged with possession of stolen goods after the
search at the home he shared with his mother. His brother, James Roberts,
58, of 132 Goforth Road, was charged with possession of moonshine. A
neighbor, Donald Eugene Bridges, 56, of 108-1 Antler Court, was charged
with possession of stolen property.

Julia Roberts was also charged with possessing a crack pipe. She was
released from Cleveland County Detention Center on condition that she
appear in court March 30. Roberts has no criminal history, according to
state records.

In an interview Friday at the mobile home where she was arrested, Roberts
said she evicted her son, Harold, the day of the raid. He had lived with
her his whole life.

"He wasn't treating me right," she said, without being more specific.

Roberts said she noticed a lot of people coming through the house but
didn't think it was suspicious.

"I thought they were getting bottled drinks or some clothes," she said.

Roberts, who was born in 1908, said she worked as a midwife for at least 20
years. She said she sang in the church choir from the age of 9 until last
month. She has outlived her husband and four of her eight children. Son
William Roberts, 64, who lives across the road and was not implicated in
the drug case, said the neighborhood is known for its drug deals.

William Roberts said he saw a lot of people going in and out of his
mother's house, but is certain she was not aware of any drug activity in
her house. He said the family is outraged that she was arrested, given her age.

But Steen said police are confident in their case.

"When you reach a certain age, is that when you're supposed to be good?" he
said. "Are you not supposed to commit crime?"