The only trouble Antwan Mauruce Pittman got into in Scotland Neck was for having a headlight out, Chief Joe Williams confirmed. Pittman lived in the town in 2005, he said.

Williams said Pittman was apparently quite and there is no one missing in Scotland Neck.

WRAL reported Pittman, 31, whose last known address was 219 Anderson St. in Rocky Mount, faces one count of murder in the death of Taraha Shenice Nicholson, 28.

Nicholson was reported missing Feb. 22. Her remains were found March 7 on Marriott Road. An autopsy found she most likely was strangled.

Pittman had been in the Nash County Jail for an Aug. 12 arrest in which he was charged with driving with a revoked license, driving without an operator's license and failing to register as a sex offender.

He made an appearance before the Edgecombe County magistrate Tuesday morning.

Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight declined to comment on the arrest, but he has planned a 2:30 p.m. news conference about the investigation into Nicholson's death, as well as the slayings of five other women. 

The remains of Jarniece Latonya Hargrove, 31, Melody LaShae Wiggins, 29, Ernestine Battle, 50, and Jackie Nikelia Thorpe, 35, were also found in the same rural region near Seven Bridges and Old Battleboro roads. A sixth body discovered in February has yet to be identified.

There have been no arrests in any of the other cases.

 Pittman was convicted in Edgecombe County in 1994 for taking indecent liberties with a 2-year-old. He was also convicted of assault and resisting police . A charge of soliciting prostitutes was dropped in 2007 because the arresting officer left the force.