A Lincoln County rest home resident who walked away from the facility almost five months ago remains missing.

53-year-old Richard Keith Perdue was reportedly last seen leaving through a side door at the Boger City Rest Home in Lincolnton around 8:30 in the evening last January 22^nd.

Facility staff reported him missing two hour later.

Deputies searched the area bur were unable to locate Perdue.

On January 31^st, multiple agencies from Lincoln and Cleveland counties searched a 300-meter area around the rest home, without success.

Perdue is a white male, is 5-feet-5 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. He has black hair and blue eyes.

Perdue suffers from several medical conditions including autism, spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia.

 

Investigators say they’ve exhausted all leads that have been received in the case.

Perdue does not have relatives in NC and is not familiar with the area.

Anyone having information about his whereabouts should call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 704-732-9050.

A Nebo man charged in the 2014 carbon monoxide poisoning death of his son appeared in court last week and received a prison sentence.

34-year-old Timothy Carl Bartlett Junior was found guilty of negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, and involuntary manslaughter.

He was sentenced to four months in prison; while given a 24 to 41 month suspended sentence.

Bartlett must serve 24 months of supervised probation.

Records show Bartlett and his two sons Nathaniel and Jacob were found unresponsive at their home on February 7^th.

Nathaniel was pronounced dead at the scene; while Jacob and his father were air-lifted to Spartanburg Medical with life-threatening injuries; where they were later released.

Investigators say high levels of carbon monoxide were found in the home, possibly coming from a generator that was running in the basement.

Reports say Bartlett also had methamphetamine found on him the day of the incident.

Caldwell County water customers are seeing sediment in their water in several areas of the county due to separate water-related issues.

Customers near the new William Lenoir Middle School because of construction and replacement of water lines on Highway 90, those in the Grace Chapel area due to hydrant flow tests being conducted by Grace Chapel fire department, and customers in the Dudley Shoals area because of low water levels at the Draco Holding Tank.

Officials say all three areas should see the water beginning to clear over the next few days.

County staff has tested the water in these areas and have determined the water is safe.

Anyone with questions can contact the Caldwell County Water Department at 757-5758.

The Falling Creek Road bridge replacement project in Hickory is now complete and open to traffic.

The NC DOT conducted the final inspection and approval today prior to reopening the bridge.

The bridge has been closed since June 12^th 2017 following a determination by engineers that it was structurally deficient.

The project was expected to take a year to complete.