A Georgia man will spend at least 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder Tuesday, during Burke County Superior Court. 25-year-old Walter Edward Nichols II was sentenced by the Honorable Eric Morgan, Superior Court Judge from Forsyth County. He was charged with stabbing a then-23-year-old female in 2013. Assistant Chief Jamie Buchanan and Chris Edwards investigated the case for the Valdese Police Department. Frank Webster and Chris Back handled prosecution for the 25th District Attorney's Office. In another case this week from Burke Superior Court, 55-year-old Randy Lee English of Morganton was sentenced to 4-6 years after pleading guilty to possession of meth, 2 counts of breaking & entering, and admitting his status as an habitual felon. English has prior felony convictions in Catawba and Alexander Counties.

Two area state troopers are honored. Trooper Jonathan Gouge of Troop F stationed in Morganton was named as this year's recipient of the "Valor" award. According to a news release, Gouge rescued a couple from a structure fire in Valdese. Trooper Gouge was off-duty and spotted smoke coming from the residence prompting him to break a window to gain entry into the home, assisting two residents and three pets to escape the fire. Trooper Terry Neal, also of Troop F stationed in Hickory has received the "Samaritan Service Award ". Trooper Neal was off-duty and conducting weekend drill with his National Guard Unit in Kings Mountain whenever he and his fellow guardsmen responded to screams they heard nearby. Neal and his companions were able to stop an assault upon a young female by an older male subject, who was later jailed.

The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and Alexander County Sheriff's Office report that residents are receiving scams from individuals claiming that they are from the Internal Revenue Service. Earlier this week, the McDowell County Sheriff's Office and Buncombe County Sheriff's Office reported similar scams. You are reminded to hang up and never give any personal information. You can give a report of the scam by calling 800-366-4484, or online at www.tiga.gov (http://www.tipta.gov).

An Old Fort man has been charged with dumping 120 to 125 pounds of trash on Mill Creek Road. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office charged Dathan Allen Owens with littering household trash, along with metal and building materials on U.S.Forest Service land on Mill Creek Road. According to Deputy Ronnie Harvey, "DOT has already cleaned it up because they said it was a road hazard."