Adult Business Vote Tuesday
Wilkes County Commissioners will be putting finishing touches on their ordinance regulating sexually-oriented businesses, before an expected vote at Tuesday’s meeting. Commissioners extended the year-long moratorium by one month at their September meeting, after they were told by county Attorney Gary Triplett there were some small changes that would make the ordinance easier to enforce, and more likely to stand up in court.

The ordinance limits adult clubs and other sexually-oriented businesses to four areas of the county, all located near the county lines. That’s because it restricts such businesses to areas more than one-half mile from any home, church or school. The issue came up because a club owner asked for permission to build such a business a little over a year ago. Except for the moratorium, which is in effect until next week, there has been no regulation of sexually-oriented businesses in Wilkes county before now.

The county commission meeting is at 5 Tuesday evening.

Thief Steals Washing Machine
A Wilkes woman says a thief stole more than 3-thosuand dollars worth of property from the basement of her former home. Betsy Elledge reported the burglary Wednesday evening. She told sheriff’s deputies the thief pried open a basement window and stole a Hotpoint washing machine, wrought iron patio set, an oak coffee table, and three books of checks – along with a light blue 1970 Ford LTD parked outside. As deputies looked further into the crime, they discovered the items were of potential interest to her ex-husband, who is having a legal battle with her over ownership of the house and property.

Elledge told deputies the house was being sold, and she will remove anything else that’s hers from it. Until then, they are provind extra patrols of the area, to prevent a new break-in.

Gas Drive-Off
A local convenience store clerk called 9-1-1, after someone sped off without paying for about six gallons of gas. Sheriff deputies say it happened Wednesday at the Rock Creek BP station on Highway 268 in North Wilkesboro. According to the clerk, someone pulled up in a silver Nissan, pumped six gallons of gas, and sped off without paying. Deputies have the tag number, and are following up with the registered owner.

Recent Fire Ruled Arson
Other than saying it was an arson fire, authorities aren’t releasing much information concerning the blaze that demolished an abandoned house on Elledge Mill Road earlier this month. A neighbor called in the fire the afternoon of September 18th. Fire Marshall Niki Hamby says there were no utilities at the house, and all accidental causes of fire have been ruled out. As is typical in arson investigations, the exact cause and manner of spread of the fire are being withheld until a suspect is questioned.

Stolen Generator: No More Leads
It appears the leads have run out in the case of a generator stolen from a Wilkes homeowner a month ago. The victim found the generator at a local pawn shop last week. But staff members say the generator she identified as hers was actually traded for another item in the store early this year. This pawn shop does not keep computer records of trades in the same way the do pawns, so the identity of the person making the trade in April is unknown. At this point, the case has been closed for lack of leads.

Right to Life Endorses Foxx
The National Right to Life and North Carolina Right to Life Political Action Committees are endorsing Congresswoman Virginia Foxx in her bid for re-election to North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District.

National Right to Life PAC Executive Director David O'Steen commended Foxx for her 100 percent pro-life voting record during the entire 109th Congress.

North Carolina Right to Life Federal PAC Director Don Daugherty added, "We appreciate Virginia Foxx’s commitment to upholding the sanctity of human life from conception, including life created through cloning, to natural death.”

Car Stolen
Sheriff’s deputies are on the lookout for a stolen car. Ray Smith reported Monday afternoon someone had stolen his white 1986 Honda CRX from outside his house on High Rock Road in Boomer. He believes it might have been his ex-girlfriend, taking the car in revenge after their break-up. So far, deputies have not made any arrests.

Boom Lift Found
A boom lift reported stolen recently has been found. It’s been nearly a month since a Mooresville man reported the boom lift, which he’d rented for a job, had been stolen. It was found recently some distance from the job site in the woods off Highway 18. The 60-thousand dollar lift had been hot-wired, and sustained minor damage. The rental company and their insurance company are working out the details, and deputies list the case as closed.

Grief Therapy Sessions Offered
Hospice of Wilkes Regional Medical Center is beginning a five week series of classes on grief a week from Tuesday. The series is offered as a community service for those families who have had to deal with the death of a family member. According to Hospice, dealing with the grief is one of the greatest challenges of life. The classes will teach how to handle the feelings and thought that typically follow a person’s death. The class will meet on Tuesday nights. For more information, call 903-7700.

Home Break-In
A Florida woman tells sheriff deputies someone broke into her home in Wilkes County. Barbara Brooks reported the break-in at her house in McGrady around mid-day Tuesday. Deputies checking the house found a damaged window frame, but did not see any other damage to the house. Ms. Brooks will be in town over the weekend to inventory the house and see if the burglar took anything. A contractor working not far away recently reported a theft from his work site. Otherwise, no one reports seeing anything.


Regional News

3 Die in Yadkin Wreck
Authorities are continuing to investigate a wreck in Yadkin County that killed three people and injured two others.

The accident occurred at about 8:30 Tuesday night on U.S. 421 Highway South at Dinkins Bottom Road.

Investigators said 22-year old Jose Wilber Reyes was driving a Ford Escort north in the southbound lane when he collided head-on with a Mitsubishi. 26-year old Abelardo Hernandez Ramirez and 23-year old Jose Lopez Romero were in the Ford. All three died at the scene.

The injured people are both Appalachian State students, and are listed in fair condition at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. Both were in the Mitsubishi.

Alcohol was found in the Ford, but investigators haven’t determined if it played a role in the wreck.

Forsyth County Sheriff: We Dropped the Ball
The sheriff in Forsyth County says his office waited three months after allegations of sexual misconduct by a middle school teacher surfaced before the case was assigned to a detective.

Robert William Watson, a sixth-grade math and social studies teacher at Jefferson Middle School, faces a number of charges, including statutory sex offense and indecent liberty with a student by a teacher.

The district attorney's office said he's accused of abusing four boys, ages 11 to 15, at his house on three occasions last year.

Sheriff Bill Schatzman says a father reported in June an inappropriate online conversation between his seventh-grade son and a man investigators later identified as Watson, the boy's teacher.

Schatzman said the case wasn't assigned to a detective until early September. He said that was after school officials spoke with the father and got word of a second report of improper communication between Watson and another former student.

Planned Greensboro Jail Already Full
A new jail in Greensboro is already overcrowded, and it hasn’t even left the drawing board.
New figures from Moseley Architects, the firm charged with designing the new detention center, showed that the planned complex would be overcrowded as soon as it opened. Moseley pledged to present plans later this fall for 400 additional jail beds , drawing support from a group of county commissioners and other officials during a meeting Tuesday.

"It's stupid, just to put it bluntly," said Sheriff BJ Barnes, to build a jail "that's going to be obsolete the day you open the door."

The jail will be among the most important and controversial decisions facing the commissioners over the next year. Facilities in Greensboro and High Point are so crowded that some inmates sleep on the floor.

Commissioners have not decided how to pay for the project and are waiting for Moseley to come up with a price tag before making their decision. Initial estimates put the jail's cost at $55.5 million, but Moseley principal Dan Mace said adding hundreds of new beds to the plans could boost the price by $25 million or $30 million.

Make it 3
A third newspaper machine has been broken into in Wilkesboro this week. As we told you earlier on 3WC news, carriers reported two machines broken into early Monday morning, with at total of 50-dollars in quarters stolen. Late Monday, another broken machine was found, this time by a Charlotte Observer contractor. The damage was heavier on this machine, with the culprit breaking the coin box mechanism, as well as the padlock. The other two machines had had only the padlock broken. The theft discovered late Monday netted about 21-dollars in coins.

Wilkes Man Victimized, Again
A Wilkes man has suffered a home break-in, for the second time in recent months. Brian Yarbro returned home from Greensboro Sunday afternoon to find the back door broken open and an X-box stolen, along with two games. He told sheriff deputies he believes some former friends are behind both this break-in and the first one. There have been no arrests in the case.

Hays Burglary
A Hays man will arrive home from vacation to find his house has been broken into. A neighbor called sheriff’s deputies early Saturday, and they found signs that someone had broken in and ransacked the house. A number of drawers were standing open and closets had been gone through, according to a report filed in the case. The owner, who we are not identifying because he’s still out of town, will prepare a list of missing items when he returns from vacation.

Millers Creek Break-In
A thief broke into the home of a Millers Creek man Saturday, stealing an X-box, a Playstation, some games, and about 150 dollars in cash. Robert Long came home from work Saturday afternoon to find his back door had been jimmied. The stolen items were all on a coffee table in Long’s living room, and nothing else in the house had been touched. Long gave sheriff deputies the name of a Boomer man as a possible suspect. Neighbors confirm the man was in the area Saturday. The case remains under investigation.

Items Stolen Through Unlocked Door
A North Wilkesboro man tells sheriff deputies whoever burglarized her home came in through an unlocked door. Vaughn Edward Key reported Saturday that he went into his basement and found someone had stolen a TV-DVD player combo and a bag of frozen chicken wings. The basement door had been left unlocked. Key told deputies the last time he’d been downstairs was Thursday night.

Burglary Foiled
A Ferguson man believes he scared off some thieves by arriving home just as they were burglarizing his house. Jason Hamby says he left home about 1pm last Thursday. When he came back a few hours later, he saw his front door had been kicked in, but when he went in the house, nothing was missing. He told deputies the names of two people and where he believed they were staying. Neighbors say the men had been in the neighborhood several times in the previous few days, trying to collect money. So far, there have been no arrests.

Another Unauthorized Debit card Use Case
Sheriff Deputies are investigating another case where someone’s debit card was used on the Internet without their permission. Late last week, a Wilkesboro woman reported unauthorized charges in June and September to a company called i-matchup.com. When police contacted the company, they were told whoever set up the account had posted a photo. Police are in the process of requesting a copy of the photo and getting documentation from the bank. The account is in the name of the woman and her daughter, who is a college student in Asheville.

Damage: $200
A West Wilkes High School student has an unexpected bill for repair on his pickup truck, after another student kicked a large dent in the driver’s side door. Steven Dancy reported the incident last Thursday. Sheriff’s deputies released the report yesterday, after charging 16-year old Derek Wyatt with causing the damage.

Trash Can Fire Investigation Fizzles
The investigation of an apparent arson fire at East Wilkes Middle School about two weeks ago has hit a dead end. An employee arriving for work September 12th found a melted trash can in the corner of the school cafeteria, and smoke damage to a nearby wall. School officials have been working with police to identify possible suspects, and have exhausted all the leads they have so far.

Both the principal, Jodi Weatherman, and the Assistant Principal, Sharon Shoupe, tell deputies they saw the custodian lock the door the night before the fire. There was an alarm on the monitoring system that showed the door being opened just before 9pm. That was just minutes before both administrators left, but they told deputies they heard no alarm. The Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with information on the case to call CrimeStoppers at 667-8900 or the Sheriff’s Office at 903-7600.

Voter Registration Closes in 2 Weeks
The deadline to get registered to vote in the November elections is fast approaching. The Wilkes
County election office tells 3WC news registrations for the November general lection will be taken only until the end of the day Friday, October 13th. Remember, if you have moved, you cannot vote without re-registering at your new address. If you need information about how or where to register, contact the election office at 651-73-38. A registration form is available on the Election Board’s web site, which you can find through our web site, at 1240-3wc.com.

Regional News

Deciding Who Will Get Treatment, Who Won't
North Carolina's medical professionals have been told to prepare for a flu pandemic and to focus on who will be treated and who won't if the illness overwhelms them.

The Task Force on Ethics and Pandemic Influenza Planning met recently to talk about a strong set of ethical guidelines for the state's doctors and nurses.

The list would help them decide who gets priority for medical care in the face of a wave of flu-stricken patients that would rapidly outstrip the supply of hospital beds, medicine and equipment.

Would You Like Fries With That?
A company that began by making alternative fuel from french fry grease is now ready to start major production of biodiesel.

Piedmont Biofuels plans to convert chicken fat into 1 million gallons of biodiesel per year at the factory, making a fuel that creates less pollution and provides an alternative to oil.

It's the first of three biodiesel production plants being built in North Carolina, which is among the nation's top consumers of biodiesel fuel.

Fake Checks More Frequent
Counterfeit check scams appear to be on the rise in North Carolina, says Attorney General Roy Cooper. As many as 30 consumers a day have called Cooper’s office about these scams in recent weeks.

Cooper’s office says in a news release that fake checks are most often sent in connection with phony lottery pitches and scams involving online sales. Victims are told that they’ve won a prize, as much as $950,000 in recent mailings, but must first wire money to cover taxes, insurance or other fees. In many cases, the scammers include a very real-looking counterfeit check or money order that is supposed to cover these fees. Victims who cash the check and wire the money learn later that the check was a fake.

If you believe you have received a counterfeit check such as this, call the Attorney General’s office toll-free at 877-5-NO-SCAM.

Maybe Kids Can Still Be Active
A new state rule this year that middle-school students do at least 30 minutes a day of physical activity prompted a common reaction from educators.

Fat chance.

Middle-school students typically take physical education, but the classes don't always meet each day. So how, teachers wondered, are we supposed to find time to boost heart rates, when it's hard enough to boost test scores?

But four weeks into the school year, students are shadow boxing in their classrooms, walking while taking notes, even taping together phone books for step aerobics.

And skepticism has begun to fade.

After desks are returned to rows, some teachers say what they initially feared would be a distraction has actually helped improve student behavior and learning.

Injury Wreck Monday
The Highway Patrol says a driver was extremely fortunate yesterday morning, after she drifted left of the center line on highway 115 and sideswiped a semi truck. The wreck happened near 115 and Hunting Creek Road about 8:25am yesterday. Troopers say the was southbound on 115 when she sideswiped the tractor-trailer, and forced another car into the ditch. She also hit an embankment and ended up in the ditch. The drivers of the two cars had some bumps and bruises, but all refused treatment by Wilkes County EMS. Traffic was backed up for a while as cars had to be directed around the wreck scene in one lane.

Embezzlement Investigated
A Wilkes business owner says an employee has been writing company checks to herself. Henry Williams of Purlear reported the embezzlement to sheriff’s deputies on Saturday. He says over a period of time, the employee wrote two-thousand dollars worth of checks on the company account, signing them by using a stamp bearing his name. The employee has not been arrested, and the investigation of the case continues.

Man Found Passed Out in Car
What started as a report of a car on the side of the road ended with a man being taken to jail. A passing motorist called 9-1-1 about 4:45 Saturday afternoon, saying there was a car on the shoulder at the Old Highway 16 junction with Highway 16 North. The deputy found Mark Darren Adams, a Wilkesboro resident, passed out behind the wheel of the car, with five open beers within his reach. A Highway patrol trooper administered a breath test on Adams, who blew a point-20. He was arrested for driving while impaired.

Officer Could Smell the Booze Ten Feet Away
A Wilkesboro man must not have seen the police car parked in front when he stopped for gas at the Run-In on Oakwoods Road Sunday morning. When 27-year old Brandon Cothern went in to pay, the police officer said he smelled alcohol on his breath from over ten feet away. The officer stopped Cothern before he got back in the car, and he blew a .10 on a breath test. A search of his car found an open vodka bottle, a set of digital scales with a white residue on it, and a piece of copper mesh on the console. No one riding in the car would admit to the stuff being theirs, so as the driver, Cothern was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. The car was impounded.

Wilkes Break-In Nets Property Worth $3,000
Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating a break-in at a Wilkes home that ended with nearly three-thousand dollars worth of electronics and other items. Roger Queen called in the theft at his home on Boone Trail Friday afternoon. He told deputies someone backed up to his home, pried open a door with a crowbar, and stole items ranging from a computer to several credit cards. The case remains under investigation, with deputies still interviewing several people Queen identified as possible suspects.

Newspaper Racks Broken Into
Wilkesboro police say there were two newspaper vending machines broken into early yesterday. The carriers filling the machines reported the break-ins within about an hour of each other. The Charlotte Observer machine in the 18-hundred block of Winkler had about 30 dollars in quarters stolen, while the Winston-Salem Journal machine aw Wilco West was missing about 20-dollars in quarters.

Coats For Kids: Keep 'Em Coming!
Officials with the Coats for Kids campaign say this year has already been so successful, they don’t want it to stop! Tim Murphy tells 3WC news more than 250 coats. Plus quite a few pairs of mittens, scarves and toboggans, were donated to the program. Many of them went right out the door as Christmas in Wilkes registration started yesterday morning. Because of the program’s success so far, Murphy says they are extending it for a few more days. So there’s still time to drop off gently-used coats, hats and mittens to Wilkesboro Cleaners or to either Hourglass Cleaners location.

Regional News

DNA Test Won't Help Death Row Inmate
A judge ruled Monday that results of a DNA test for convicted murderer Jerry Wayne Conner won't help him stay out of the death chamber, and defense lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.

Gates County Superior Court Judge Richard Parker ruled that results of the new test were unfavorable to Conner. The decision came after an hour-long hearing, during which the judge said he would hear only evidence related to DNA.

District Attorney Frank Parrish said Parker must sign a formal order before prosecutors ask that the stay of execution be dissolved, which would allow the Department of Corrections to set another execution date.

Parrish said there was enough evidence without DNA to convict and execute the 40-year-old Conner. That evidence included a confession and a bloody footprint.

No Bond for Nurse Accused of Murder
A nurse accused of killing a patient recovering from plastic surgery was denied bond Monday morning, despite the pleas of friends who went to church with the murder suspect.

About a dozen members of Sally Hill's church, Good News Ministries Church, stood before a judge as a team, and left the courthouse as a team.

They say Hill, who is 50, is innocent. She is accused of killing former high school classmate Sandra Joyner.

Hill was the post-op nurse when Joyner got a face-lift five years ago. Joyner went into respiratory arrest after the surgery and died. Authorities said Hill gave Joyner a fatal dose of Fentanyl, a pain medication that is 80 times more potent than morphine.

Teacher Admits Sex Crimes
A 66-year-old former teacher accused of molesting children pleaded guilty yesterday to a dozen federal charges that could keep him in prison the rest of his life.

Jimmie Grubbs, a former language arts teacher at Bradley Middle School in Huntersville, did not have a deal with prosecutors when he entered the pleas in U.S. District Court. Federal prosecutors have said the charges carry maximum punishments totaling 360 years in prison.

The charges were made by a grand jury indictment handed up in July. Jurors said Grubbs with taking a minor from North Carolina to Columbia, S.C., for sex and with traveling there himself to engage in illicit sexual conduct in 2002 and 2004.

Two New Assistant D-A's Serving Wilkes
Two new assistant district attorneys, recently hired in the 23rd Judicial District, are ready to meet the challenges ahead.

Matthew Levchuk was hired Aug. 1 and Brooke Webster was hired on Sept. 1.

Levchuk replaces Graham Greene who went to work for the U.S. Attorney’s office, while Webster filled a new position funded by the state.

Suspicious Death Remains Under Investigation
Sheriff deputies continue their investigation of the death of a Wilkes woman who had been missing since 2004, and whose body was found late last month. Family members laid Ocelia Renee Bridges to rest last week, after state medical examiners did what they could to determine how she died. The sheriff’s office says the autopsy report isn’t back yet – it takes much longer to determine facts about death when technicians have only bones to work with.

Regional News

Statesville Man Hit, Killed By Train
A man was hit and killed by a train in Statesville late Friday evening.
Police say Roy Imes was sitting on the railroad tracks on South Center Street around 10:00 p.m. Friday.

Officials say the conductor tried to stop the train by slamming on the brakes, but said the train’s momentum kept him from stopping in time.

Imes was in his early 50’s.

Officer's Shots Saved Lives
A Hickory police officer saved the lives of several people when she shot and killed a man who
was coming toward her, the man's girlfriend said.

``She saved my life, my kids' life, the three kids out here and about six other people,'' said Linda Andrews. ``If it wasn't for her, we'd be dead.''

Officer Melissa Hildebrand shot and killed Garry Wayne McCloud, 51, on Thursday night. McCloud was screaming and flailing his arms when he was outside Andrews' apartment, said Hickory Police Maj. Tom Adkins.

Hildebrand fired several shots at McCloud when he didn't respond to her order to calm down. Adkins didn't say how many times McCloud was shot.

State Bureau of Investigation agents are trying to determine if McCloud had a weapon, Adkins said. After the SBI completes its investigation, the Hickory Police Department will conduct an internal investigation, he said.

McCloud had been found guilty Monday of assault on a female in Catawba County court on Monday. He received unsupervised probation and was ordered not to harass, threaten or assault Andrews, his girlfriend of two years.

Following police policy, Hildebrand has been placed on administrative leave with pay until the investigation is complete.