Theodore "Theo" Nugent was a prisoner in the North Carolina State Penitentiary in 1879. In newspaper reports, he was referred to as "professor," and his race is noted as white. He was charged with the theft of a watch and two pistols belonging to Pinkney Wynn in Wayne County. Wynn appealed to Governor Thomas J. Jarvis for Nugent's release, saying that Nugent was innocent of the alleged crime. No other records could be found, likely due to Nugent's roving lifestyle as a traveling musician and "tramp."