Top Charlotte Area Local News Stories
Source: MedleyStory
Cornelius police are looking for the person who fired shots into four different apartments Thursday morning.
Officers have increased their patrols and have been interviewing residents at the Cornelius Village Apartments on Meridian Road, hoping to generate new leads.
Police said someone driving a red compact car with a loud muffler fired the shots.
All four apartments were occupied by families, and all four had sleeping children inside.
Two bullets pierced the wall of an upstairs bedroom, where Jeremy Gabriel's 11-year-old daughter was sleeping.
"This is very, very serious. I just thank God she's still alive," Gabriel said. "That was my child. But it can be anybody's child. God was with her. And I hope and pray they get the guy that did it."
One bullet hit the TV stand and put a hole through several video games. The other bullet hit the box spring of the girl's bed, about 3 inches below the mattress.
"I only have one child, and she could have been gone this morning. Gone," said the girl's mother, who asked Eyewitness News not to reveal her identity because she's afraid of more shootings.
The mother said her daughter is terrified, and they're going to stay with family members until they can find a new home.
"Tonight we're leaving," she said.
Eyewitness News saw two uniformed police officers walking around the complex Thursday night. The officers were talking to residents who were standing outside.
Two police cars were parked by the apartment complex entrance.
Cornelius police said they're taking the shootings very seriously.
"It's very scary. Someone could have easily been hurt or killed just from someone being that reckless and non-caring," said Lt David Baucom.
Police said the shooter will likely face four felony charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling.
But because of how close the bullets came to hitting people, Baucom said he plans on asking the district attorney to consider the more serious charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:19:54 -0500
Five Union County students were released from the hospital Thursday night after their school bus plowed into another vehicle Thursday afternoon.
The driver of the second vehicle was still in ICU Thursday night due to the accident.
Highway troopers said the 2008 Toyota Scion, driven by 23-year-old Chyna Johnson, was headed north on Airport Road. Union County School Bus No. 18 was headed west on Goldmine Road when the two vehicles crashed.
The five students were taken to Carolina's Medical Center in Monroe with minor injuries. Troopers said Johnson appeared to have head injuries and was unconscious when taken to the hospital.
Kelly Helms has children who ride the bus every day.
"[Driving] Goldmine and Airport Roads, people tend to speed a lot on that road," Helms said.
Troopers said witnesses reported seeing Johnson run the stop light, crossing into the path of the bus.
The hospital couldn't tell Eyewitness News Johnson's condition Thursday night, but troopers said her injuries were serious and she was in ICU.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:09:20 -0500
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are searching for a man who robbed a supermarket Thursday afternoon.
Police said that at 3:07 p.m. a man armed with a silver- or chrome-colored handgun walked into the Food Lion at 8100 Idlewild Road.
The man took an undisclosed amount of money and fled the scene, running toward the Piney Grove neighborhood.
Police described the suspect as a black man with a slight moustache wearing a black hoodie, black pants with a gold design on the back left pocket and black sneakers with white soles. He was approximately 5 foot 5 inches to 5 foot 8 inches tall with a medium build.
Anyone with information should contact CMPD.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:29:56 -0500
Attorneys for Davidson College wrote a strongly worded letter including accusations of trespassing to Piedmont Natural Gas, but now officials on both sides say they are trying to come to a resolution over a proposed pipeline project.
Davidson College attorneys said PNG refused to deal "openly and honestly" with the college, that contractors "unlawfully trespassed" on the college's ecological preserve and cut down trees, and that the company has had a strategy of "keeping Davidson in the dark."
"I think the letter got everyone's attention and now we are in conversation with them," Bill Giduz with Davidson College said. "Hopefully we find a solution."
Piedmont Natural Gas said in the current proposal of its pipeline project, about 3,500 to 4,000 feet of pipe cuts through Davidson College land, which includes the nature preserve. College officials say the preserve is used for research as well as by the public.
"We just want to protect it as much as possible," Giduz said.
In a statement, Piedmont Natural Gas said, "We understand the concerns that projects such as these often raise, and we regret the recent communications challenges we've shared with Davidson College. We strongly disagree, however, with the college's characterization of our actions and intent."
PNG officials said the project plans do consider public safety, environmental impact, disruption to existing homes and businesses, and cost to customers.
"We desire a productive relationship with Davidson College and are working with them in an attempt to address issues on their property related to the pipeline," the statement also read in part.
Officials would not respond to questions about the specific accusations in Davidson College's letter, but said they plan to respond to it with their own letter in the next few days.
Residents like Amy Diamond said they're concerned about the land.
"I think there needs to be a significant study into the impact it's going to have," she said.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:36:41 -0500
Drug agents in York County were surprised when they seized 1,300 packages of synthetic marijuana from six convenience stores in January.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials had banned the products statewide, and the federal drug enforcement agency had issued an emergency ban on several chemicals in September.
Yet, the substances were on store shelves.
Drug abuse experts said the ban was only a temporary help.
"We're starting to see use come up. We're starting to see the products more available," said Jane Alleva, who has spent years studying drug use and abuse. "I think this is a life and death issue, I really do."
The problem, Alleva said, is that the federal and state ban is focused on outlawing the chemical compounds in the synthetic pot and bath salts.
However, manufacturers are constantly changing those chemicals, and therefore, they can still sell them as legal.
"They're able to alter that chemical compound just enough so it still causes the same effects, but it can be legal because we don't know what's in those chemical compounds," Alleva said.
Marvin Brown is the commander of York County's multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit. He said his officers constantly encounter synthetic drugs.
Brown said his team planned to target local stores and work to remove the drugs from the shelves, but they've had to hold back because of questions over what's legal and what's not.
Synthetic drugs are often sold as mood enhancers, or relaxation products. Many say "not for human consumption" on the label, but people smoke them, snort them and even inject them. Synthetic marijuana and bath salts mimic the high from cocaine and standard marijuana.
However, their effects can be even more dangerous, experts say.
There are separate House and Senate bills in the South Carolina Legislature that seeks to toughen the ban on these drugs.
State Rep. Ralph Norman of Rock Hill called it only one step.
"We've got a problem in this state. This is the first step on a long stairway of trying to keep drugs from children," he said.
Alleva said she's concerned because the state bills both focus on banning certain compounds, which could change. She hopes to see the federal government step in and clearly define what these drugs are, based on their effects on the body. She has spoken to South Carolina's two U.S. Senators, and several members of Congress about the issue.
"I don't see waiting on the federal government gets us anywhere," Norman said.
He believes the state should act now, and if the law needs to be tweaked down the road, lawmakers will look at it again.
Another concern is the proposed state ban in South Carolina could be so broad, that some health food products or vitamin supplements could be banned by accident, because they may contain some of the same outlawed chemical compounds.
Lawmakers said several experts are providing input into the legislation process, and those issues are being addressed.
Those who work in the drug abuse field and see the damage to so many lives, say the need for a comprehensive law is urgent.
"It's going to take some creative thinking, but it needs to happen sooner, rather than later," Alleva said.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:34:25 -0500
The lawyer for a teen who choked herself in the back of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department cruiser is questioning an internal investigation into the incident.
The results of the investigation were released Tuesday, just one day before Tanisha Williams' 19th birthday. Her lawyer called the timing of that release "troubling" and said Williams' birthday was a tough day for her family.
"She could not hear the family singing to her, she did not have the ability to blow out any candles, or open any gifts," William Harding said.
Harding said the investigation, which cleared the three officers involved of any wrongdoing, leaves him with more questions than answers.
"How could any reasonable person not know when someone is strangling themselves?" Harding said.
CMPD maintains that the officers followed procedures, by checking on Williams' "several times" while she was in the back of the cruiser and confirming that she was breathing. Investigators said the officers could not see the seat belt around her neck because it was obscured by her hair, and because of the "dark night-time conditions."
Harding is now completing his own investigation into what happened, but said CMPD officials have been slow to provide information, including the names of the three officers involved.
Harding said the family is considering all legal options and may make a decision soon on possible litigation.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:40:43 -0500
One Charlotte high school is increasing its security after outsiders started coming onto campus.
Extra police patrolled the Northwest School of the Arts on Thursday.
Northwest is a magnet school.
The interim principal sent a message to parents, saying teenagers from the surrounding neighborhood are coming into the school, and sometimes confronting Northwest students.
On Tuesday, police arrested a 15-year-old they said went into the school with a BB gun.
That teen was not a student at the school.
"I'm definitely always worried when I hear that other children are the cause of problem," James Rogers said, a Northwest parent.
The interim principal did not say how long he would ask for the additional security.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:33:34 -0500
A 15-year-old accused of setting up an attack on his mother made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon. He spent the hearing in restraints.
Investigators said he had a friend cut his mother’s throat.
The15-year-old entered the courtroom with his hands cuffed to a belt around his waist.
His father was on the front row. His mother, Lindsey Wood, was not there.
He is accused of plotting to kill her with help from his friend, 16-year-old Miguel Lopez.
Details of that night two weeks ago were not discussed in court, but may be revealed during a probable cause hearing for the teen next month.
Police said Lopez slashed Wood’s throat with her son yards away. She read scripture with him and invited him to go to church with her.
She called 911 when he left.
Her son will have a psychological evaluation conducted while he is in custody. He will remain in juvenile custody for the next 30 days.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:14:51 -0500
A household name in car seats is looking at a multimillion dollar expansion, but that may mean giving up its southwest Charlotte home and moving over the state line.
Britax is a European company. It’s one and only North American plant is near Carowinds.
The company makes car seats and it recently took over BOB, which makes running strollers.
Britax thinks it may need more space, even twice as much room.
It's looking at a $30 million expansion, which could mean a lot of new property taxes for Charlotte.
Apparently though, Britax's lease is up next year. Sources said the company is shopping around, looking at two sites in Charlotte and two over the border in York County where it could get a better deal. t site is Britax’s current site is less than two miles from the state line.
People who live near Britax said Charlotte leaders should be worried and that a lot is at stake.
“Do the math," said Tim Lawrence, a resident.
Sources said Britax's executives were all in Germany Thursday and had limited access to email, so Eyewitness News has not received an official response from the company.
The Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce said it cannot share what it is -- or is not doing -- to keep Britax in town.
But Charlotte City Councilman Warren Cooksey has talked about this struggle to keep Charlotte competitive before.
"Is it easy for a company to expand? Is it easy to knock on the door of City Hall, knock on the door of the county, and say, 'Look, I want to grow my business, I want to hire more people. Can I get it done reasonably quickly while still adhering to whatever rules and regulations are out there?'" he said. "When the rules and regulations become more onerous in Charlotte than they are in our region as a whole, then we're going to suffer."
A staff member of the city sent an email to Mayor Anthony Foxx's office, suggesting Foxx make a "personal appeal" to Britax to try to keep the company on the Charlotte side of the state line.
The mayor's assistant said Foxx does not have any comment.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:08:36 -0500
Walking through the busy Arboretum shopping center on Providence Road, most people would not believe the Drug Enforcement Agency has identified it as a hot spot for drug dealing.
The head of North Carolina’s branch of the DEA, Bill Baxley, said people are going into heavily trafficked business areas like the Arboretum to buy and sell black tar heroin, a type of heroin from Mexico with a tar --like texture that is growing in popularity among Charlotte’s teens.
Baxley said the locations make sense to the sellers.
“Traffickers aren’t dummies. They want to come to places that they’re not going to stand out,” he said.
The area around the Arboretum isn’t the DEA’s only concern. Officers have also targeted parking lots in the SouthPark area, near South Boulevard and Tyvola, and by Carolina Place Parkway.
Agents said the deals are also happening near the intersection of Monroe and Sharon Amity roads, near Monroe and Wendover roads, and near StoneCrest in Ballantyne.
The buy areas are not a surprise to Diane Cureton, a former heroin addict who is now a substance abuse counselor.
“There’s a certain boldness about it,” she said.
Cureton works with local teens battling drug addiction. They tell her exactly how easy it is to get the drug.
“A teen can be in the mall with a parent and, ‘I’m going in this store, mom.’ Meet you, get what they need to get and go on back and meet up with their parent,” she said.
The easy access to the drug is why agents are stepping up their enforcement with a newly formed task force. They are concerned that, with all the drug activity, an increase in neighborhood crime might not be far behind.
“Deals go bad. We are talking about violent Mexican trafficking organization,” Baxley said. “We can put that focus like a laser beam on those organizations and completely dismantle them.”
The task force if federally funded and included officers from Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they have not seen an increase in heroin activity at the Arboretum or an increase in crime, but the DEA said its information is not based solely on arrests and crime.
Agents said it is also based on intelligence and tips they receive.
Officials at the Arboretum said Thursday afternoon they had not heard about the DEA’s assessment. The two sides are now communicating.
If you have a tip for the Drug Enforcement Agency, you can call 704-770-2050.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:32:30 -0500
Police in Morganton are searching for the person who broke into the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Investigators said Thursday the burglars stole money and did thousands of dollars in damage.
Volunteers, such as Rene Taylor, spent nearly an hour sweeping glass near the front entrance of the Habitat ReStore.
Inside someone destroyed the cash register and ransacked several rooms taking jewelry, petty cash, and a laptop.
"If you need help just come. People will help you. We help people all the time," she said.
"I was about to cry. It is just hard to believe that someone would do that to a place that helps so many people," said Teresa Whiteside, another employee of the store.
The Habitat ReStore takes donations and then sells those items. The money they make is used to help build Habitat Houses.
Last year the store helped build two homes for families in the area.
The store says they don't keep cash in the register.
Fixing the three doors and replacing the items stolen will cost the nonprofit more than $3,000.
"I was mad. I was really mad because we work so hard to keep our store going. We have such good donors. For someone to come in and take something from us is just sad," said Sherry Mobley, the store’s manager.
Public safety officers are looking at surveillance video nearby and stepping up patrols around the nonprofit until the person responsible is caught.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:24:06 -0500
New tests show high levels of arsenic in more than just juice. The chemical has now been detected in cereal bars and baby formula.
Researchers said much of the food in question has a common ingredient -- organic brown rice syrup. The syrup is used as a sweetener.
“The first year of life formula for many babies is the main source of food. And if you have high levels of arsenic there, you have to worry that the baby is taking in a level of arsenic that could be dangerous,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor.
Researchers at Dartmouth College studied 17 types of formula. The two kinds with elevated arsenic were organic and listed organic brown rice syrup as the first ingredient.
The issue is now coming to light as rice syrup is more frequently being used as a replacement for high fructose corn syrup.
Cereal bars are a concern, but not as much as the formula.
“It concerns me a little less because no one should be having energy bars as a main source of food, but if you are concerned about this, you can read the label and go with the product that doesn’t have rice as one of the top five ingredients,” Besser said.
The inorganic arsenic in question, a known carcinogen, is linked to certain types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
It is used in pesticides and animal feed before it makes its way into the soil where apples and rice are grown.
“We are going to be seeing that it will come to haunt us in terms of our food supply,” said Andrea Rock from Consumer Reports.
People on gluten-free diets should pay close attention to organic brown rice syrup because many gluten-free foods are rice-based. Two formulas named in the study are baby’s Only Organic Dairy Toddler formula and Baby’s Only Organic Soy Todddler formula.
Both products are made by Nature’s One.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:16:37 -0500
A registered sex offender said he risked prison time to prove he is not guilty of an indecent exposure charge.
Robert Smith pleaded no contest and did not get jail time, but now he feels he should be exonerated and has filed an appeal.
Smith said he wanted to take the gamble because he wants to clear his name.
“I am innocent,” he said.
And he said he wanted to take the stand to tell jurors the same thing. However, taking the stand means jurors would hear that Smith is a registered sex offender who spent eight years in prison.
Instead of Smith’s testimony, though, jurors heard from Patricia Crumbly.
She said she looked out the window of her flower shop last April and saw Smith in the driver’s seat of his truck performing a lewd act.
“He had both his hands on his privates and was sitting back,” Crumbly told the jury. “He was parked right in front of the door with people coming in and out.”
She told jurors she called 911.
Gastonia police Sgt. Jeff Clark called his son, who works at Tony’s Ice Cream located adjacent to the flower shop.
Clark’s son, Kyle, confirmed Crumbly’s testimony.
“(He was) leaned back with his hands on his inner thigh,” Kyle Clark said.
On the day of his arrest, Smith told police and reporters he had Crohn’s disease. His mother said the same thing Thursday when she testified.
According to Smith’s mother, her son gets bloated easily and has to loosen his pants.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:04:59 -0500
Police are giving suspected drug dealers one last chance to clean up their acts.
With the help of a special investigator working on a new Drug Market Intervention program, police have been able to identify dozens of people who have been selling drugs in Statesville.
Some have been arrested, but police intentionally did not arrest all of them.
"We built cases on 39 people," said Statesville Police Capt. David Onley. "Twenty-nine (of the dealers) we cracked down on and arrested. (The other) ten we're going to call in tonight."
At Thurday's "call in," the suspected dealers will be shown evidence that police have enough on them to arrest them. They will also be shown photos of recently arrested drug dealers currently serving long prison sentences.
"It's to tell them, 'today it stops,’" Onley said. "We got cases on you but we're not going to prosecute as long as you change your life and stop doing what you're doing.’"
Statesville Police will offer them an opportunity to change through resources ranging from education opportunities to job placement.
Police are hopeful the suspected dealers will take them up on their offer. Otherwise, arrest and imprisonment is inevitable.
The program is part of a larger drug sweep that led to the arrest of 11 people and charges for more than a dozen more.
In addition to the arrests made, officers seized nearly 130 grams of marijuana, 52 doses of prescription drugs, a vehicle and $114 in cash, according to a statement from police.
According to police, the sweep was the culmination of 10 months of undercover drug investigations.
Arrests included:
Eleven other people were arrested for various misdemeanor drug and traffic-related charges.
Felony charges were also filed against four other people who were already in prison:
Felony charges have also been filed against the 15 people believed to be at large in the Statesville area:
Statesville police are asking anyone with knowledge of the location of the missing suspects to call the Statesville Police Department at 704.878.3406 or Crime Stoppers at 704.662.1340.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:53:21 -0500
Several water projects are set to start within the next two weeks in the city of Newton.
Work on the water main on US 70 between Hughey Drive and Boundary Street in Newton will start Monday, according to information from the city.
Workers with Neill Grading & Construction Company will replace the water main with the help of a subcontractor, the information says.
The following week — Feb. 27 — work to replace a water line in the Shannonbrook subdivision will start.
Neill Grading & Construction Company, as well as a subcontractor, will do the work for water easements and rights-of-way, according to information from the city. The project is expected to be wrapped up by the end of June.
Contact Dennis Falder, collection and distribution superintendent for the city, at 695-4298 if there are questions about the projects.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:56:24 -0500
The Hickory Public Housing Authority recently had an audit conducted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, prompted by a complaint filed from a former board member.
Usually conducted by HUD’s Greensboro field office, this audit was conducted by the HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington, DC. Kathleen Hatcher, director of external affairs for OIG, could not confirm or deny if there was an investigation in addition to the audit conducted at the Hickory office.
“We opened an audit based on a citizen complaint,” Hatcher said.
She couldn’t comment on what was found during the audit, saying the report would likely be completed in mid-March. She said audits cover a range of topics.
“The scope varies based on risk assessment, but it can be on payments, questionable purchases, bookkeeping, procedures, personnel and how effective they’re implementing HUD’s practices,” Hatcher said.
The OIG conducted four audits in 2011 in North Carolina. According to the audit reports on its website, the OIG can order organizations overseen by HUD to repay money and develop new controls to follow program requirements.
Hickory Public Housing Authority Executive Director Alanda Jackson said HUD conducts an annual audit for the Housing Authority, looking at financials, income and fraud. She said when OIG conducted its most recent audit, they were at the office from September to January, something she didn’t find unusual.
“A HUD audit can take a year or two,” Jackson said.
She said she wouldn’t know what officials found until the exit interview was conducted. Although the Greensboro field office usually conducts Hickory Housing Authority’s audit, Jackson isn’t worried.
“I don’t have anything to be concerned about because no money is missing,” she said.
Jackson said she didn’t know why the OIG office conducted the audit, rather than the Greensboro office.
Former Hickory Public Housing Authority Board of Commission member Larry Pope said he is the person who contacted the OIG office.
“I served on the board nine years, and during that time, a lot concerned me,” Pope said. “So I met with the board in its entirety.”
He maintains the board ignored problems with the Housing Authority.
“As time passed, things kept coming to my attention and I felt things had to be done,” he said. “I filed a complaint with Washington’s office of Public Housing. I got a phone call three weeks later letting me know they would be coming.”
Pope was replaced on the board when his term was up, although Pope said he was interested in serving another term.
Hickory City Council approves the members on the Hickory Public Housing Authority Board. Mayor Rudy Wright said the people on the board are not automatically renewed at the end of their term.
Wright said he asked Steve Hunt, who is a product of public housing, if he would be interested in serving in the upcoming open seat, and Hunt agreed. He was approved by city council.
More than a half-dozen current employees or ones who have recently quit asked the commissioners to a meeting on Friday, Feb. 10. None of the commissioners attended. Only the chair, Clement Geitner, called to say he would be unable to attend, Pope said.
Geitner wouldn’t comment on the meeting, saying it was an internal matter.
The employees said Jackson intimidated them on a regular basis at work and prohibited them from talking to HUD, even if their duties required them to do so. They maintain Jackson kept a tight control on the office, not allowing any information to be disseminated from the Housing Authority unless it came from her.
Some of the former employees at the meeting, who did not want to be named in the newspaper but who did comment on the record, said they quit because the work environment was intolerable, describing it as “harsh and intense.” Several said they developed health problems while working at the Hickory Public Housing Authority due to the stressful work environment.
Geitner said he was not aware of any threats or intimidation against staff members.
He declined to comment on anything else.
Hunt, who replaced Pope on the board during the summer, said he received a letter in the mail about the meeting on Thursday. Hunt said the notice was too late for him. However, even if he had received notice earlier, he likely would not have attended the Feb. 10 meeting.
“If they want to bring an issue before the board, they know when the board meets,” he said. “That’s the protocol, as I understand it.”
Commission member Sidney Myles called the meeting unofficial and also said it was against protocol.
The former employees disagree.
Citing their personnel manual, they said if there is a problem, they should go first to their supervisor, then the department head, then the executive director, then the board of commissioners.
“We followed procedure, because the executive director is the problem,” one said. “We, as a group, went to the governing body for answers. We got our answer tonight.”
Pope said the current board is protecting Jackson.
Vice-chair E.G. Fuller, when contacted, did not say he was protecting Jackson. However, he said board has given a “vote of confidence” to Jackson. He thinks there may be personal issues at play.
Commission member Bonnie Rice, when reached, referred questions to Jackson.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:55:25 -0500
Folks in Maiden seem to have the luck of the Irish on their side recently when it comes to playing the North Carolina Education Lottery.
A rash of lottery winners within the last several days have been from Maiden or the winning ticket has been purchased at a store in town.
Mike Bollinger recently won the largest amount in the area after buying a “Mega Millions” ticket at Beach's General Store in Stanley. Bollinger, a police officer and EMT from Maiden, had one of a pair of winning “Mega Millions” tickets. The other winning ticket was sold at JP Wilkesboro, located on U.S. 421 in Wilkesboro, but hasn’t been claimed yet, according to information from the lottery.
Bollinger beat the odds of more than 3.9 million to match all five white balls for the Friday drawing.
The winning “Mega Millions” ticket holders won $250,000. Bollinger, who claimed his prize on Valentine’s Day, walked away with $170,000 after taxes, according to lottery information.
“Something just felt right that day when I bought it,” Bollinger said. “I let the computer pick the numbers.”
Bollinger, who told lottery officials that $15 was the most he had ever won playing “Mega Millions,” plans to use his winnings to pay bills and take a vacation.
“Really to have those bills off of you is more of a relief than anything," he said.
Bruce Black won $40,000 playing a “Powerball” Power Play ticket. The ticket was sold at Lowe's Foods on NC 127 in Hickory.
Two “Powerball” tickets worth $10,000 each were sold in Maiden at Country Market on Startown Road and the Kangaroo Express on East Main Street. Ricky Sain, who bought his ticket at Country Market, claimed his $10,000 prize on Valentine’s Day. Sonny Ray Wright, who got his ticket from Kangaroo Express, claimed his $10,000 prize on Monday, according to lottery information.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:35:23 -0500
An Alexander County couple that sparked a manhunt after allegedly assaulting a deputy and fleeing the scene were arrested Thursday following a 17-day search.
Phillip Daniel Teague, 42, and his wife, Brandy Jane Stafford Teague, 31, were arrested by Ashe Countydeputies after they were found at a camp site.
Officers found the couple when they responded to a trespassing complaint. The Teagues had been entered into an FBI database following their run-in withAlexander County deputies. They were wanted for assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, resisting public officer, and fictitious information to an officer.
The Teagues’ trouble began Aug. 9 when the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office called them to let Alexander County know the Teagues were heading to Hiddeniteand Phillip Teague was wanted for felony probation violation.
An Alexander County Deputy spotted a car matching the description in Hiddenite and pulled it over. The Teagues gave him false names and told him they could take him to the Vashti area where the people he was after were located.
The deputy followed them. Sgt. Jon Hayes of the Alexander County Sherriff’s Office met the deputy with a photo of the Teagues. The deputy pulled them over again this time on Cove Gap Road near Bethel Church Road.
When the deputy saw the photos, he realized the suspect was sitting in the car he’d pulled over twice.Brandy Teague was standing outside of her Subaru Legacy vehicle and when she saw the deputy coming her way, she ran back to her car and began to drive away, according to the incident report.
Hayes tried to stop her and grabbed the car. Teague dragged him about 50 feet before he let go.
Hayes was banged up and bruised during the incident, but was not seriously hurt, said Chief Deputy Tod Jones of the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office.
The Teagues led the officers on a high-speed chase through Alexander County’s Vashti community. The deputies followed the Teagues across the Wilkes County line to a house. There, the Teagues jumped from the car and ran into the woods where they split up.
Multiple law enforcement agencies joined the search. K-9 teams and a helicopter were brought in on the search, but the Teagues got away. The search was called off in the morning, but a be-on-the-lookout order was issued to surrounding agencies.
When the Teagues were arrested, they faced additional charges.
Phillip Teague was also charged with felony probation violation on a warrant from Wilkes County. His bond was set at $120,000 secured.
Brandy Teague was also charged with drug crimes from Wilkes County warrants. Her bond was set at$65,000 secured
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:30:52 -0500
An Alexander County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering at home from injuries he sustained responding to a breaking-and-entering call Tuesday evening.
At about 6:50 p.m. the communications centerreceived a call about a breaking-and-entering in progress on Open Way Drive. Although Deputy Roger Moose was off-duty, he was near the area, so he told communications that he would respond, according to the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office. On-duty officers also responded to the call, however Moose arrived first.
When Moose got there, he saw four men. He ordered them to stay where they were. Although three of them did, one did not, charging Moose and attacking him, said Sheriff Chris Bowman. During the “violent struggle,” the man also fought with Moose for the deputy’s weapon.
“They struggled over the weapon, but the deputy avoided having him get it,” Bowman said.
About two minutes after Moose arrived, a responding NC Highway Patrolman approached. Bowman said the sirens scared the suspect, and he fled into the nearby woods. The three other men remained with officers, Bowman said.
Moose and other witnesses called 911 about the altercation, and additional officers arrived, as well as a K9 unit. The suspect was tracked to the roof of an outbuilding at his home on Raintree Park, which is about a mile away, Bowman said.
Although officers were at his home, the suspect did not surrender.
At about 9 p.m., he “made an aggressive approach toward the arresting officers,” so they used a Taser, according to the sheriff’s office. He was then arrested.
The suspect, Christopher Dales, 23, was charged with one count of assault on a government official inflicting serious bodily injury and two counts of resist, obstruct and delay an officer. He was given a $50,000 secured bond. His brother, Joseph Dales, 19, was charged with one count of accessory after the fact. He was given a$2,500 secured bond. He has since bonded out of jail.
Bowman said Joseph Dales was charged with accessory after the fact because officers believe Joseph knew his brother was at the house. Officers also believe Joseph gave his brother clothing. When he was on the roof of the outbuilding he was wearing a shirt, whereas when Moose confronted him, he was not wearing one,Bowman said.
Moose sustained injuries to his back, left arm and several other areas of his body. He was taken by patrol car to Iredell Memorial Hospital, and was released later that night.
“He didn’t have any broken bones, luckily,” Bowman said.
Additional charges about the possible breaking-and-entering may be forthcoming, Bowman said. Officers are continuing the investigation.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:24:27 -0500
The NC Highway Patrol has released the cause of a car crash on Friday morning that killed two people.
Kyzer Wilfong, 23, was driving a Subaru east on Millersville Road just before 8 a.m., said Trooper RV McGee with the Highway Patrol. He was on his way to work when he fell asleep at the wheel, McGee said.
Wilfong crossed the center line and struck a Toyota 4Runner that was going west on Millersville Road. McGee said both cars were going at the posted speed limit of 55 mph.
The driver of the 4Runner, Aipin C. See, 75, of Conover, was killed. Also killed in the wreck was See’s wife,Na Bou, 67, McGee said. Although both of them were wearing their seatbelts, Wilfong and a rear passenger in the 4Runner were not, he said.
McGee said no charges have been filed in the wreck, but that it is still under investigation.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:23:24 -0500
KannapolisNorthCarolina.com
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