Three people were arrested Friday after a meth lab was discovered in Morganton. Public Safety was dispatched just after 8am, after a 911 hang-up call at 130 Shuffler Road. During the investigation, officers were informed of a working meth lab inside the residence. A Morganton Task Force agent interviewed three suspects, William Carswell, Robert Yancey and Jennifer White. They were charged with manufactured meth. Carswell and Yancey were involved in a physical altercation Thursday and were taken to CHS Morganton for injuries. After being released from the hospital they were taken to the magistrates office. Bond on the three people charged was set at $25,000 secured. The SBI assisted with the investigation and removed the lab from the home.

Two Lenoir residents face marijuana charges. Lenoir Police Narcotics investigators, after a month long investigation, served a search warrant Thursday morning at 105 Tripplett Drive Lot 1. Arrested were Danny and Seth Critcher. Seized at the residence were over 2 pounds of marijuana, $6,444 in cash and 9 weapons with ammunition. Anyone with information relating to this incident or any other drug related incidents is asked to contact Lenoir Police at 828-757-2100 or CrimeStoppers at 758-8300.

Hickory has been ranked among the safest cities in NC. According to SafeHome, a professional review site dedicated to making communities safer - the city of Hickory ranks 20th; with a safety score of 64.6. Safety scores are based on a number of factors including the city's crime trends, the FBI crime report and types of crimes committed within a single year, and number of law enforcement officers compared to the population. The study shows Hickory is noted to have exceptionally low violent crime and property crime rates as well as the best citizen-to-officer ratio among the state's top 25 safest crimes.