3WC News Blog: 2/25/07

The local and regional news page of 12403wc Hometown Christian Radio.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Tires Slashed

Loose lips may have pointed police to the person who broke into a car and slashed at least one tire. Police were called to the Run-In on River Street Wednesday afternoon. Tammy Wilcox told deputies her son and his girlfriend had been at the courthouse, and after they left, noticed one of the door locks on the car was messed up and one tire had been slashed. He changed the tire and drove off, only to have a second tire go flat near the Run-In. Police saw it had been cut, too. The teen and his girlfriend also noticed the inside of the car had been ransacked, and both were missing their brown jacket. They called police about it all, when it occurred to them they'd been threatened with just such a happening by Miranda Church, a 28-year old local woman, while they were at the courthouse. Why she allegedly made the threat, police aren't saying.

posted by Newsroom # 1:09 PM

Local Jewelry Store Robbed

Wilkesboro police are investigating the robbery of a local jewelry store. It happened about 5:30 yesterday afternoon at Brand's Jewelry, in the Wal-Mart shopping center. A man came into the store and asked for one of the employees, who did not happen to be working at the time. Another clerk talked with the man, who wanted to look at diamond rings and a loose diamond on display in the store. She got out two rings and the diamond he asked to look at, and then he asked her to look up the prices on them, because he was comparison shopping. The clerk carried the rings and the diamond with her to the computer and checked the prices, but when she returned, the man made a grab for her hand, yanking the rings off her fingers and the loose diamond from her hand. Then he ran from the store, without making any threats to the other employees, and hopped in a black Honda. That car was involved in a hit-and-run wreck in front of McDonald's as it sped away. The man hasn't been seen since.

The loose diamond alone was valued at 14-thousand, 500 dollars. The rings, which were diamonds set in white gold, were valued at 5-thousand dollars and 35-hundred dollars. Total loss is 23-thousand dollars. The thief is described as a black man of unknown age, about 6-1 and 185 pounds. He was wearing a tan jacket and hat.

posted by Newsroom # 1:02 PM

Argument Leads to Arrest, Barrel of Cash

An argument leads to a stay in jail for a Wilkes man with a record. Deputies arrested Bryce Barry Prevette last weekend after responding to a disturbance call at his home in Roaring River. His wife, Sarah Prevette, told deputies the two had argued earlier in the day. She went to the store, and on the way home, he pulled in behind her and followed her to the house. When she got home, Mrs. Prevette says her husband slugged her in the face, and she ran into the house. She says he pulled a gun and fired one round as she ran to the house. She wasn't sure if he was aiming at her or not, but she tells deputies he had pointed the gun at her earlier in the day. She got inside and he started to storm the house, trying to kick in the front door without success.

When deputies arrived Mr. Prevette ran into a nearby shed. A search of the shed located him and a barrel of cash. Literally. A deputy located 74-hundred dollars in cash, stashed in a feed barrel. Mr. Prevette has a previous felony conviction, which makes it illegal for him to possess the gun, which was found on him when deputies searched him. He was arrested and jailed on charges of Assaulting a woman, assault by pointing a gun, felon in possession of a firearm, and driving while intoxicated.

posted by Newsroom # 6:25 AM

ID Theft Case Solved

A Wilkes man was arrested for identity theft, and immediately bonded out of jail. Steven Patrick Cramer was arrested by a Wilkesboro Police officer Tuesday, in relation to the investigation which has been going on since last October. Ironically, not only does Cramer share the name of his alleged victim, but the two both are window cleaners.

The victim is Patrick O'Donnell Cramer the Second, who lives in Boone. He went to a bank in Boone last May to try and obtain a loan. As is expected, he gave the bank a list of everything he currently owed. But the bank said there was another loan in his name, made at CitiFinancial in Wilkesboro. Cramer called the loan office, where he learned Steven Patrick Cramer had used his social security number to obtain a 5-thousand dollar loan.

With the investigation completed early this week, a police officer met Steven Cramer at the jail and served a felony warrant for financial identity fraud and obtaining property by false pretenses. Cramer was released on a 5-thousand dollar unsecured bond. He's scheduled to be in court next week.

posted by Newsroom # 6:16 AM

Teens Charged with December Bomb Threats

Wilkes County Sheriff Deputies have solved two of the recent spate of bomb threats at local schools. Their investigation of the December incidents has taken some time, and included a review of the phone records of several companies. Around mid-February, deputies interviewed two teen-agers, both of whom admitted to making calls to East WIlkes and Wilkes Central High Schools about a week before school got out for Christmas. One of the boys has already been convicted of doing the wasme theing at West Wilkes. Both teens face Juvenile Court proceedings on two felonly counts of making a false report concerning a destructive device. Deputies say their investigation has found that these threats and some similar threats on Wilkes middle schools are not related.

posted by Newsroom # 6:06 AM

Home Break-In

Sheriff deputies don't have a lot to go on in their investigation of a reported break-in at a Wilkes home. Brian Check, who lives on Macedonian Church Road, reported Tuesday evening he had gotten home to find several items stolen. He'd been out for the evening, and a neighbor said during the time he was gone, they had seen a dark car parked in front of the house. There was no sign that anyone had forced their way into the house. The thief took a flat screen TV worth almost 2-thousand dollars, A JVC stereo worth almost 600-dollars, and a cell phone valued at 350-dollars. The crime report also lists "some cash that way laying in the open" -- about 19-hundred dollars worth. The investigation continues.

posted by Newsroom # 6:01 AM

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Let's Go to the Tape -- Or Not

Usually, store security tapes help catch criminals. But they aren't a very good tool when they don't work. That's what happened at a local store that was the victim of a thief this week. As we told you earlier in the week, someone had gone to the Village Market and conned the clerk out of 3 cartons of Newport cigarettes. When a detective went to the store yesterday to check their tape, he found either the tape was damaged after it was recorded or it simply didn't record correctly. Either way, there's no recording of the event, and no one in the store at the time recognized the thief. The case has been closed for a lack of evidence.

posted by Newsroom # 2:08 PM

Wilkes Deputies Recover Stash of Stolen Stuff

Sheriff deputies making contact with some local people as a way of helping out their fellow deputies in another county discovered a stash of stolen property. Wilkes resident Jeremy Lee Ebersole was arrested in Alleghany county this week while breaking into a house. As part of their investigation, Alleghany county deputies called Wilkes county to interview Ebersole's girlfriend, Teresa Harris. Two deputies went to Ebersole's house on old Highway 18, found Harris at the house, and talked with her and a man who was there, Gene Haymond. During their discussion, the two revealed there was quite a stash of stolen property around the house and in several outbuildings.

Based on that information, deputies called a judge to obtain a search warrant. They were granted the right to search, and found a number of items from recent break-ins throughout Wilkes county. They expect to solve several cases as they match the found property to lists of stuff that's been stolen. In addition, deputies noticed a red Nissan pickup parked in a field next to the house, and when they ran its ID number against the national crime database, they found it had been stolen in Kingsport, Tennessee, and matched the description of a vehicle involved in several break-ins in Alleghany county. Deputies there are handling the vehicle now.

Deputies say they expect several charges against Jeremy Ebersole, who remains in custody in Alleghany county.

posted by Newsroom # 2:01 PM

Pre-K Applications Being Taken

Wilkes County Schools are already in the preparation phases for next school year. Pre-K classes are now open for applicaiton, accoridng to a release form the schools. Pre-K is available to all children who are 4 years old on or before October 16th. School officials say to call the school closest to you for more information. Screenings are necessary for the program, and they will be conducted at each elementary school site. You'll be given an appointment time sometime between March 28th and May 1st.

posted by Newsroom # 1:51 PM

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Lowes Cos. Slapped with EEOC Lawsuit

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission CLAIMS Lowe's Home Centers violated federal law by refusing to make a reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability at its Knoxville, Tenn.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Norman Neff, who relies upon a manual wheelchair for mobility, requested that he be allowed to bring his service dog to work with him. Neff suffers from overuse injuries in his arms, wrists, and shoulders due to using the wheelchair, and his suffering is reduced by using his service dog that is trained to pull him in his wheelchair. Lowe's denied Neff's request for this reasonable accommodation, the EEOC charged, and this also caused him to suffer emotional injuries.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for the known disabilities of its employees. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement through conciliation. The lawsuit asks the court to order the company to provide the requested accommodation, pay compensatory damages for emotional and psychological harm, and pay punitive damages.

posted by Newsroom # 3:57 PM

ID Theft Case

A worker at Wilkes Regional Medical Center is the community's latest ID Fraud victim. Sharon Gregory tells sheriff deputies she was notified by her credit card company Monday afternoon that someone had used her account without authorization. There were three transactions that triggered the company's warning: two very small ones to MCI and a company known as CIC, along with a 75-dollar purchase to the Sport Authority. All three were done online, and the card company was able to give Gregory the name used by an Idaho woman who had been responsible for one of the transactions. She isn't out any money, as the card company has reversed the charges.

posted by Newsroom # 3:52 PM

Credit Cards, Blank Checks Stolen

Another Wilkes credit card owner reports she is the victim of fraud. The 43-year old North Wilkesboro woman tells sheriff deputies the credit cards were inside her purse, which was stolen fron Dooleys Restaurant Friday evening. Since then, the credit cards have been used at a number of locations. The person who stole the purse also got some boxes of blank checks, but the woman didn't know when she filed the report whether any attempt to use the checks had been made. She also told deputies there are security tapes from several locations that show the possible suspect using the cards. How she came up on this informaiton in less than two days, over the weekend, isn't indicated in the report. There have been no arrests so far.

posted by Newsroom # 5:30 AM

Drug Theft Cases

Local authorities are working several cases of stolen medicines. Wilkesboro Police arrested a local man after witnesses say he got into a man's car parked in the county courthouse lot and stole the owner's freshly-refilled supply of painkillers. 120-pills each of hydrocodone and Xanax were stolen as witnesses looked on. When the car owner heard one witness ask why Spence Markle had gotten into a car that wasn't his, he took off running after him. Markle got away, but was captured by deputies a short time later.

Sheriff deputies say prescription drugs disappeared late last week from a Hays home. Carol Billings called deputies after she noticed almost a month's supply of medicine for her live-in boyfriend, Charles Sparks, were taken. While she doesn't have any firm suspect information, Sparks belives a family member may be to blame.

A Hays man reports a thief broke into his house Sunday while he was gone to church and stole his medications. The burglar had broken out the back window, and once inside stile two bottles containing prescription painkillers. Those were the only things taken, in spite of other valuables being plainly displayed close by. Based on the short list of people who knew where he kept the drugs, the man told deputies he believes his son was the thief.

posted by Newsroom # 5:17 AM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Drugs, Drugs and More Drugs

Deputies checking a Wilkes house for two wanted criminals found even more than they expected. Three deputies went to the home on Factory Street in Ronda, to check from two people who were wanted for outstanding warrants. They were let into the house by 28-year old Rhonda Gail Nichols, who let them search the house. In a bedroom, deputies found a multitude of drug items and paraphernalia, including about 100 marijuana seeds, rolling papers, scales, and a blue plastic container with a white substance caked to the sides. That substance had a positive result on a cocaine test, and Nichols admitted it was cocaine. Deputies arrested Nichols and searched her, finding a hydrocodone pill in her pocket, for which she did not have a prescription.

In all, Nichols faces charges for possessing three illegal drugs and multiple items of paraphernalia.

posted by Newsroom # 1:14 PM

Teen Admits Buying Drugs, Stealing Money

A Wilkes family will be working through several issues in the next little while, after the 14-year old boy admitted to taking drugs and to stealing from his sister. The boy, whos name isn't being released because of his age, faces juvenile court proceedings.

Deputies were called to Wilkes Regional medical Cneter yesterday afternoon about 4:30. The boy's mother had takne him to the emergency room after he admitted to taking zanax. He was found to have two pills in his possession. He said he'd bought the drugs from another student at Wilkes Central High School. When quesitoned about where he got the money for the illegal purchase, the boy admitted he'd gone into his sister's room without permission and taken 30-dollars form her wallet. The boy will face charges of breaking and entering, theft, and drug possession.

posted by Newsroom # 1:07 PM

Here, Steal Me!

Sheriff deputies are on the lookout for a stolen S-U-V. The theft was reported about noon yesterday by Scotty Gregory, a 36-year old State Road man. He tells deputies he left his keys in the S-U-V, a 2002 Ford Explorer, Sunday evening. When he got up Monday morning, it was gone. The Explorer is an Eddie Bauer model, with the distinctive Green-over-tan paint scheme, with a tag number of VWM-7354. The vehicle has been entered in the national crime database, and deputies say they have no suspects at this point.

posted by Newsroom # 1:01 PM

Domestic Assault

Sheriff deputies had to intervene in an argument between a boyfriend and girlfriend last night. According to a crime report, deputies went to the coupele's home on Byrd Ridge Road about 11:30pm. Donna Waite and David Hogue had been arguing, and each told deputies the other had assaulted them. Waite had a couple of marks on her arms, and Hogue had a mark under one eye. Neither needed treatment, and both were taken to jail, where they wrote out statements concerning what happened. Hogue was charged with assault on a woman, and Waite was charged with simple assault, both misdemeanors.

posted by Newsroom # 12:57 PM

Stolen Comptuers Recovered

Sheriff deputies have recovered a computer stolen from a Wilkes school a little over a week ago, but in doing so they have raised even more questions in the case. That's because the laptop computer and Pocket PC reported stolen over the President's Day weekend by a Wilkes West teacher was already stolen. Deputies say they aren't sure yet how the teacher came to be using the computer, which was reported stolen from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's possible that the serial number entered in the national crime database was transposed or had one wrong digit.

Deputies recovered the computer after a 9-1-1 hangup call at a local home. When they arrived to check out the call, they were told by a man his daughter had bought the computer for 250-dollars from another student in the West Wilkes parking lot a couple of days after it was reported stolen. The girl had paid 50-dollars at the time, and was to pay the rest this week. The computers have been recovered and are being held by police until it's determined who they actually belong to. No charges have been filed in the case.

posted by Newsroom # 4:48 AM

Don't Miss an Easy $30 to $60!

Many people are leaving off an easy 30 to 60 dollar refund when they file their income tax this year. I-R-S officials say already, 250-thousand people in North Carolina missed the one line on their tax form for the one-time only telephone tax refund. Spokesman Mark Hanson says in a news release that amounts to more than 7-and-a-half million dollars in credits people are eligible for, but haven't taken.

Here's how it works: Anyone who paid long-distance excise taxes on land-line, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or bundled service that was billed for the period after Feb 28, 2003 and before Aug 1, 2006 is eligible for this refund. That's most of us.

You can request a refund of the actual federal excise tax you paid based upon your telephone bills for this period. Or you can request the standard refund amount ranging from $30-$60 based upon the number of exemptions you claim on your individual income tax return.

Choosing the standard amount is optional. Using this option is the easiest way to get your refund and avoid gathering 41 months of old phone records. By choosing the standard amount you will only need to fill out one line on your tax return. The standard amount is based on actual telephone usage data and reflects the long-distance phone tax paid by similarly sized families or households.

posted by Newsroom # 4:40 AM

Stolen: Deer Head Yard Art

I'm sure it isn't humorous to the victim in the case, but to read the police report of a recent theft gives a small chuckle. That's because the description of the stolen property is "Deer Head Yard Art." Unless one is a hunter, it probably doesn't do much good to imagine what the thief had in mind for the deer after taking them from Carol Shuffler's garden early Saturday. The deer, worth $150, were there when Shuffler went to work late Friday night, and had disappeared during the night. No suspects have been identified, and neighbors didn't see or hear anything.

posted by Newsroom # 4:35 AM

Monday, February 26, 2007

Coke Machine Vandalism, Break-Ins

The, well, frontal assault on Wilkes cola vending machines continues. Local authorities have been working a multitude of vandalism and attempted break-in cases relating to Coke or Pepsi machines. Wilkesboro Police and Wilkes County Sheriff Deputies each worked one this weekend, while North Wilkesboro Police had three cases.

Wilkesboro Police were informed by a Coca-Cola employee someone had torn up the face panel of one of their machines, at Cub Creek Park Friday afternoon. It did not appear the vandals had tried to break into the dollar bill changer or coin box, or to the interior of the machine. However, three machines were hit in North Wilkesboro early Friday, and in each case the thief broke into the money-handling mechanisms and stole cash.

A Sparta Road business owner reported an attempted drink machine break-in yesterday afternoon. Ronnie Walker told sheriff deputies he went to lock up at the Little Dipper about 3pm, and found someone had pried the lock off his drink machines, but had been unable to get into the coin boxes.

Earlier cases have seen machines tipped over on their face and having the fronts broken up -- most have not been successful in getting any money from the machines. All the cases remain open.

posted by Newsroom # 2:27 PM

Local Man, Wanted by Virgina Police, Arrested

Sheriff Deputies looking for a man wanted out of Virginia has to kick in the door of his Wilkes home early yesterday. Deputies had been on the lookout for Shaun Edward Nunn, a 29-year old Wilkes man, since Virginia authorities issued a fugitive warrant on him. Their crime report doesn't say what he's accused of, but he's being held without bond on thw warrant.

The arrest is a story in itself. After getting a tip Nunn was at his home, four deputies surrounded his house, and after they saw him inside, they started pounding on doors and windows, demanding to be let in. After about five minutes with no response, a deputy reared back and kicked in the front door and the four rushed the house. They found Nunn hiding in a laundry room closet. His mother, who was none too happy with the 200-dollars damage to the splintered doorway, let loose a tirade against them, but other than that, they reported no problems arresting Nunn.

In addition to the fugitive warrant form Virginia, Nunn was served outstanding local warrants for driving without a license and resisting arrest. He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, as deputies seized what appeared to be a cocaine spoon as they searched him during the arrest. He's held without bond awaiting extradition to Virginia.

posted by Newsroom # 2:20 PM

She Took After Him with a Ball Bat

There's a reason domestic violence cases are some of the ones law enforcement officers dread the most. A relationship that was falling apart this weekend demonstrates why. Sheriff deputies were called to a house on Bethany Ford Road early Saturday morning. The couple, James Aldridge and Sheila Mayberry, were in the midst of a verbal argument, with her carrying around a white ball bat.

He told deputies he'd decided to pack up and leave after she'd thrown herself at two men who visited earlier in the evening, and as he was loading his stuff into his truck, she started beating him with the bat. He said she had hit him repeatedly in the back, leg, and hand -- and he had a cut on his right hand. Deputies were able to relieve her of the bat before she took a swing at them. They arrested Mayberry on an assault and battery charge.

posted by Newsroom # 2:12 PM

Drug Charges

Sheriff deputies arriving at a Wilkes house to serve a warrant on a man for assault found him in the midst of a raft of drug paraphernalia. Four deputies went to Jessie Alexander's home on Wagon Ridge Road, to serve the warrant for Habitual Misdemeanor Assauly, about midnight Friday morning. They arrested Alexander without incident, but as they were searching the house, they discovered a baggie of cocaine, three baggies of marijuana, and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. Alexander was hauled to jail to face several new felony charges: possession with intent to manufacture, possession of comcaine and marijuana, and numerous misdemeanor charges of possessing drug paraphernalia.

posted by Newsroom # 2:42 AM

Smokes Stolen

Sheriff deputies are investigating a smash-and-grab burglary at a local convenience store. The alarm went off as Parsons Quick Stop in Roaring River early Friday, and when deputies arrived, it was plain to see why. The front door was smashed in, and a pack of cigarettes was laying just outside it, unopened. When the owner, Don Patel, arrived, he and the deputy went inside to find more smokes scattered about, and a rack drawer containing 100 packs of Newport cigarettes missing. Damage to the door is listed at 300-dollars, while the stolen drawer and smokes were valued at a total of 550-dollars. The store did have a video camera, and deputies are reviewing the tape as a part of their investigation.

posted by Newsroom # 2:37 AM

Man Seriously Hurt in Robbery Attempt

Sheriff deputies arrested three Wilkes men shortly after they allegedly assaulted another man, causing serious injuries. The assault was reported Thursday evening a a home on Huffman River Lane. Deputies say the men had ran away by the time they got there, but first responders and EMS were still on the scene, trying to keep the victim, 65-year old Tommy Spears, awake. He had a severe head injury, according to the crime report, and was rushed by EMS to Wilkes Regional Medical Center. The man who called 9-1-1, Jessie Spears, told deputies he knew the names of the three men and where they lived, and he told deputies the men had come to the house to steal his uncle's money and prescription medicines.

Deputies went to a home on Pleasant Home Church Road and arrested the three, 25-year old Ty Hampton; 19-year old Diandre Brown, and 41-year old Hank Evans. According to the three and to Jessie Spears, the men were leaving the house after being told repeatedly to get lost. Then Evans grabbed Jessie Spears, while Hampton and Brown went back in the house. Hampton hit the elder Mr. Spears in the head, causing him to fall into a coffee table. That injury is what left him slipping in and out of consciousness when help arrived. After the assault, the three men ran from the house. Each faces a charge of Assault Inflicting Serious Injury, and a charge of First Degree Burglary.

posted by Newsroom # 2:32 AM

Debit Card Fraud

Wilkesboro Police are investigating a reported case of debit card fraud. A Roaring River woman told officers late last week that she had been contacted by her bank regarding charges to her account. It appears someone was able to get into her online account and use the information to make a number of purchases. The victim was able to supply a several-page long list of items charged to her account that she did not purchase. She says her daughter also had access to the account and the card, but she does not suspect her of making the charges. The bank has since closed her account and invalidated the debit card, while police continue their investigation.

posted by Newsroom # 2:23 AM