Fall Back
This is the weekend we all turn our clocks back to Eastern Standard Time. Firefighters recommend that each spring when you set the clocks forward and each fall when you set the clocks back, you change the batteries in your smoke detectors. And this is also a good time to change the battery in your carbon monoxide detector, because the winter heating season is just getting underway. Remember, this will be the last year time change happens the last weekend of October – starting next year, we’ll “fall back” the first weekend of November.

Farmer Tax Guide Available
If you’re one of the more than 49-thousand farmers in North Carolina who filed tax returns last year, the IRS says you can get a head start on this year’s taxes. The Farmer’s Tax Guide for 2006 was released this week. The guide explains a number of tax law changes this year and gives a heads-up on the changes slated to take effect next year. Contact the IRS at 800-TAX-FORM to request a copy.

Items Stolen, Recovered within 2 Hours
Sheriff Deputies recovered a lock box full of stolen items within a couple of hours of the theft Wednesday night. A man tells deputies he gave Thomas Porter and Randy Luffman a ride from Wal-Mart to Tanglewood Lane. The security box, which contained money and a number of prescription drugs, was in the car. While he was at the house, the man tells deputies Porter and Luffman borrowed his car keys, saying they’d left a pack of cigarettes in the car. He left, and about half an hour later, noticed the box was missing.

Within an hour, deputies had located Porter and Luffman at a friend’s house. They recovered the lock box and discovered a key had been broken off in the lock. The other half of the key was in Porter’s pocket. The friend whose house they were at claimed the items in the box belonged to her. Police arrested Elizabeth Sheppard and charged her with being an accessory to the crime. They charged her and the two accused thieves with possession of stolen property. Luffman and Porter were also charged with misdemeanor theft.

Strong-Arm Robbery
Last night, a man who had just bought a PlayStation at Wal-Mart was robbed before he could even get out of the parking lot. Chad Foster tells police two men got out of a car as he walked past, and one grabbed the sack containing the PS2. He demanded Foster’s wallet, and when Foster said he didn’t have one, the teen hit him in the back of the head. His partner got on the other side of Foster and hit him as well. Foster started fighting back, at which time the thieves ran back to their car and sped off--right past a Wal-Mart security camera. Police are working with Wal-Mart to get a copy of the video.

Foster describes both men as black, in their late teens or early 20’s. Both wore hooded sweat shirts. The scond man also wore sunglasses. One was about 5-8, the other was about 6 feet tall. They were driving what looked to be an old patrol car – a late 80’s Caprice or Crown Victoria with black wheels and chrome bands. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Wilkesboro Police or CrimeStoppers.

More Williams Charges
Wilkesboro Police have pinned another crime on the man they arrested early this week for a crime spree in downtown last weekend. Jason Eugene Williams was caught after he used one of his victim’s credit cards at a local business. At the time of his arrest, police had information that he’d committed four break-ins Friday night and early Saturday, culminating with a car theft from a home on Link Street.

Wednesday, they charged Williams with an additional break-in, at the K-Salon in the 600 block of Main Street. According to the crime report, the back window was broken in, then the criminal smashed the computer, a monitor and a fax machine, and pulled all the cords from the walls. He also trashed the office, pulling everything out of cabinets onto the floor. It doesn’t appear anything was taken, though.

Egg Salad Recall Expanded to Other Products
Wilkesboro Police have pinned another crime on the man they arrested early this week for a crime spree in downtown last weekend. Jason Eugene Williams was caught after he used one of his victim’s credit cards at a local business. At the time of his arrest, police had information that he’d committed four break-ins Friday night and early Saturday, culminating with a car theft from a home on Link Street.

Wednesday, they charged Williams with an additional break-in, at the K-Salon in the 600 block of Main Street. According to the crime report, the back window was broken in, then the criminal smashed the computer, a monitor and a fax machine, and pulled all the cords from the walls. He also trashed the office, pulling everything out of cabinets onto the floor. It doesn’t appear anything was taken, though.

Uncle Kenny's Pepsi Machines Hit Again
Once again, a thief has hit the Pepsi Machines at Uncle Kenny’s. This time, the word “hit” is literal. Twice early this week, an employee arrived at the convenience store in Hays to find a Pepsi machine broken, apparently from someone trying to pry it open. The second time, the thief got the machine broken open. Deputies expect to receive a copy of the store security video soon, and hope to begin searching for suspects then.

Stolen Items from Local Church Found
Sheriff Deputies have located the property stolen last month from Brushy Mountain Baptist Church. Deputies making a drug arrest Tuesday night discovered the stolen items in the house they were raiding. They’d been told property was being traded for drugs at a house on Austin Traphill Road. As they raided the house, deputies and officers found the stolen security cameras, Magnavox TV/VCR combo, and other items reported stolen from the church. They also recovered cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Deputies arrested 27-year old Kevin Lamont Lincoln and 24-year old Jessica Miranda Matney, and charged them with possession of stolen property along with various drug charges. The investigation into whether they were also the thieves, or received the stolen items from someone else, continues.

New Police Uniforms
Wilkesboro police will soon be sporting a new look – one officers say is less intimidating. After eight years of wearing a black military-style uniform, officers will switch next month to a blue-gray uniform similar to the one worn by some states’ highway patrol troopers. In fact, the hat resembles the one worn by North Carolina troopers.

The money to pay for the new uniforms comes from funds already budgeted for officer clothing. Chief Robert Bowlin says these uniforms are actually a bit less expensive than the old ones. Officers will wear long-sleeve shirts the year round, but the uniforms are cooler because they’re 100-percent polyester.

The Humor in This May Be in the Telling
After getting drunk, a Wilkesboro man decides to call someone to fix the window on his car. The repairman and the man with the broken window meet at Wal-Mart. After being bowled over by the smell of alcohol as he got in the car, the repairman decides to call 9-1-1 to report the drunk.

Now, drunks not being so wise all the time, the story turns south. When the police officer pulled up, the repairman told the officer the man had admitted having “a few.” Not so, said the stumbling man, who the officer noticed reeked of alcohol. Even with the wind gusting through the parking lot Tuesday afternoon, the officer had to take a few steps back.

John Ellis Hairson, who is 54, apparently failed every sobriety test known to man. A field alcohol test showed his blood alcohol to be .24, three times the legal limit. He refused an intoxylizer after talking to his attorney.

Wilkes Man Comes Home to Find Break-In
A Wilkes man believes someone who had visited just before he left town for the weekend is to blame for about five-thousand dollars worth of property being stolen from while he was gone. Gale Maiden said a diamond ring, a laptop computer, and several other items were taken in the break-in. He gave deputies a man’s name, but said the man’s wife might actually have done it to get the man in trouble. No arrests have been made in the case yet.

Purse Theft Resolved Quickly
Between a watchful sheriff deputy and an observant man out for a walk, it was less than a day before sheriff deputies had the theft of a Wilkes woman’s purse solved, the criminal behind bars, and the purse returned to the woman.

The theft was reported Saturday by Dawn Reed, who lives in Moravian Falls. She said an acquaintance came over that afternoon, and for some reason went into her bedroom. A few minutes later, Ms. Reed went into the bedroom and noticed her purse was missing. Along with it, the thief stole a checkbook, a food stamp card, and an ATM card.

Reed gave dispatchers the name and car description of the woman who had come over and the male friend who was driving. A deputy responding to the call saw the car on Highway 16 south and stopped it. The suspected thief, Randi Sheets, was carrying a purse that had Ms. Reed’s checkbook in it. She was arrested and charged with the theft.

Sunday morning, a man out for a walk along Fishing Creek Road saw a purse on the ground. He notified the sheriff’s office, and the purse was recovered, with the Atm and food stamp cards still in it. All the items were returned to Ms. Reed Sunday morning.

Gas Driveoffs
Two Wilkes convenience stores reported gas drive-offs within about three hours Saturday. Different vehicles are reported in in each case. The first was reported at Rock Creek BP about 8am. The clerk said someone drove up in a red vehicle and left without paying for about 17-dollars in gas. Village Market, on Highway 16 south in Moravian Falls, was the locaiton of the second drive-off. This time, it was someone in a white Dodge pickup, stealing almost 40-dollars worth of gas. Deputies talked to a man they list as a possible suspect, but he says he was not home Saturday morning, and does not own a white Dodge truck. The cases both remain under investigation.

Money to Throw Around?
Deputies are looking for a stolen car. The silver 2005 Mecedes was stolen early Saturday from the front yard of a home on Billing Hill Church Road. Michael Crow told deputies he’d gone out Friday night about 6 and left the car there. When he got home Saturday about 1:30am, it was gone. He said he didn’t kno0w if the car had been unlocked, and that there was a spare key in the console. From tire impressions in the grass, deputies believe the car was driven off, but they did see tracks of another vehicle. The car is a 2005 silver Mercedes C-240, valued at over 47-thousand dollars.

Fourth Forged Check Arrest
Sheriff deputies have made a fourth arrest in a check forgery case. Matthew Triplett was arrested yesterday and charged with obtaining property by false pretenses. He and three others were involved in a scheme in September where they made a computer copy of a bond refund check from the county court system, and cashed it at multiple businesses. The check was written to one of the four, who had paid for another of the group to get out of jail. 33-year old Christopher Landrum has already admitted to his involvement in the case, and his confession two weeks ago implicated Triplett.

Dog Theft Lands Woman in Jail
A North Wilkesboro woman is in jail, after she allegedly took a man’s dog. Sheriff Deputies arrested a woman known as Star Langley, after Charles Dixon told them yesterday Langley had stolen his mixed-breed dog. When deputies questioned her, Langley said the dog had been taken to Boone, but that she would try to get it back before noon yesterday. The crime reports indicate deputies have doubts that Langley is giving a true name.

ID Theft Cases
Sheriff deputies are working a case of identity theft, and another that may turn into ID theft.

Chase Swisher, who lives in Elkin and commutes to Boone for school and work, told deputies Friday he got a call from Cabelas, asking if he’d okay a purchase being billed to him but delivered to someone in Boone. He told them no, or words to that effect, and that he didn’t know the purchaser, nor had he placed an order himself. Swicher believes the thief may have gotten his personal information from his school in Boone, and deputies believe the name is false. Swisher got the order stopped before anything shipped.

In the second case, Darrell Owens tells deputies someone broke into his house while he was out of town. The thief took his wallet, which had Owens’ drivers license, Medicare and Social Security cards in it. Owens also told deputies the thief had unsuccessfully tried to drill out the lock on a floor safe in his house. Damage to the safe is listed at one-thousand dollars.

Highway 268 Wreck
One person had to be airlifted from the scene of a wreck Saturday evening on Highway 268 near Aaron Call Road. Witnesses said it appeared to be a head-on collision between two vehicles. Traffic on 268 was detoured while rescuers pulled the people from the cars and the helicopter was brought in to airlift one victiom to Winston-Salem.

How Does Growth Affect Wilkes?
A nonpartisan group plans a meeting tomorrow to discuss the impact of growth on Wilkes County. The panel discussion will happen during the quarterly meeting of the Government Strategic Alliance, and is sponsored by the Government Foundation of Wilkes Vision 20/20. Several county offiicals are taking part in the panel discussion, and all local candidates and officeholders have been invited to attend.

Home Theater Projector Stolen
Whether a thief got away with taking a digital home theater projector from the Wilkesboro Radio Shack may depend completely on what they do with it. The projector, a Cinego D-1000 model that includes a DVD player and stereo speakers, is valued at one-thousand dollars. The store manager tells police he discovered the projector missing Thursday. Two employees told him they remembered seeing the projector on display just inside the front door of the store Tuesday night.

There is no security camera system at the store, and the projector was not alarmed. The manager says he has no idea who might have stolen it. But if someone tries to pawn it, they’ll likely be causght, because the projector has been entered on a statewide computer list of stolen items.

Arrest for Warrants Leads to Drug Charge
A 16-year old North Wilkesboro boy is in hot water, in more ways than one. Sheriff’s deputies caught up with Todd Eugene Wyatt at a Hays business on Thursday evening. They had been on the lookout for Wyatt to serve him with two feleony warrants. As they arrested him, a pat-down search turned up about half an ounce of marijuana in the pocket of his cargo pants. That’s enough for a felony charge of marijuana possesion.

Third Suspect Arrested in Stateville Kidnapping
Statesville police now have three teens in custoday for a kidnapping we told you about last week on 3WC news.

The third suspect, Dewayne Davis, was taken into custody Friday night after police responded to a stranded motorist call. Davis had run out of gas.

Police arrested Teonte Heller last Tuesday night. Joshua Collins was arrested at the scene. They had released photos of Davis on Wednesday.

The three are accused of kidnapping two Statesville teens, forcing them to drive to ATMs and withdraw money, then taking them to the female victim’s home, where they woke up her family, terroized them, and forced them to give up money and ATM cards. Collins was arrested after a long police chase that ended with him smacking the car into a fire hydrant. The other teen in the car with him, believed to be Heller, ran from the scene. The female victim was found stuffed in the trunk.

WCC to Get Multi-Campus Designation
Wilkes Community College is starting the process to be designated as a multi-campus college by the state of North Carolina. The state board of community colleges has to approve the designation of the Ashe Center as a second WCC campus, then the general assembly would have to approve funding to support the additional costs associated with multi-campus designation. WCC Trustees learned about the plan at their meeting last Thursday.

Also at that meeting, trustees learned WCC will use the proceeds from three state grants to help train the local workforce for biotechnology jobs. The grants are part of the state’s BioNetwork grant program. WCC will also receive grant money from the Northwest College Tech Prep Consortium, which will help the college bolster its program that prepares students for transfer to a four-year school.

Drunk, Again
Out of jail, and right back in. That’s what happened to a Miller’s Creek man early Friday. Sheriff deputies say 50-year old Christopher Church had been released from jail following a DWI charge, and was drunk again when they went to his house Firday because neighbors complained he was shooting off fireworks and riding a loud four-wheeler around the neighborhood around midnight.

It was the second time that night deputies had been to Church’s house. According tot their report, on this visit, they found several detonated fireworks cannisters that had not been on the property during their earlier visit. He was charged with disturbing the peace and hauled off to the pokey once again.

Thief Resorts to Bolt Cutters
One thing you usually expect when you put things in storage is that they’ll be secure. But that isn’t always the case, as a Boomer woman learned late last week. Nellie Katz discovered someone had used bolt cutters to cut the lock off her storage building. The theif took a black YardMan riding mower, valued at one-thousand dollars, along with a blakc boy’s bike. The break-in cuased about 100-dollars damage to the storage unit door. Deputies have no suspects.