Nearly 20 Years Later, Arrest Made in Deadly North Carolina Beverage Company Shooting

The North Carolina police authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with a robbery in which two people were killed at a beverage distribution company nearly 20 years ago. The local police arrested the 43-year-old suspect on May 21.

The suspect arrested by North Carolina police has been identified as Johnny Steven Talbert, in connection with a robbery at a beverage distribution company on June 13, 2008, that killed two people. Talbert was arrested in Port Angeles, Washington, by local police on May 21. The arrest was made just hours after the Concord Police Department obtained a warrant, according to a press release from the department.

Talbert has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a firearm in connection with the 2008 killings at the Sunn Drop Bottling Co. in Concord. The company distributes drinks including citrus Sun Drop beverages and Snapple.

On the morning of June 13, 2008, Concord police responded to the beverage distribution center at 360 Old-Salisbury Concord Road after a suspect allegedly opened fire, killing two individuals. The victims are identified as 59-year-old Donna Barnhardt and 44-year-old Darrell Noles, according to police. Barnhardt was the company’s office manager, while Noles was there applying for work. The suspect also stole money from the office before fleeing the scene, police said.

In the following years, authorities conducted investigations and reviewed hundreds of tips from the community, but the case remained cold until 2025. “Through a meticulous reexamination of evidence and the pursuit of previously underdeveloped leads, detectives uncovered critical information that ultimately led to Talbert’s arrest,” the Concord police said in the press release.

The North Carolina police department contacted the Port Angeles Police Department in December 2025, and the detectives eventually travelled to Washington on May 18 for further investigations, according to police.

Talbert was arrested three days later and taken into custody without incident, police said. He is awaiting extradition to North Carolina, where he will face the charges.

“Concord Police Department would like to thank the Port Angeles Police Department and the community for their assistance throughout the decades-long investigation,” the police statement said. “The families of Donna Barnhardt and Darrell Noles have been informed of Talbert’s arrest and the pending charges.”

The investigation into the 2008 killings is ongoing, and Concord police are asking anyone with more information related to the case to come forward.