A structure fire in Marion destroys a mobile home and travel trailer; requiring multiple agencies from two counties.

Just before 11 this morning, firefighters from across McDowell and three departments from Burke responded to 616 Linville Road off Lake James Road.

According to fire officials, the single-story home and attached trailer were engulfed in flames upon arrival.

Homeowner Michael Spencer suspects an electrical problem caused the fire; however, the cause remains under investigation.

Both structures were called total losses.

Occupants of the home escaped without injury.

An early morning shooting at a campsite in Linville Gorge last Saturday is under investigation by local authorities.

A news release from the Burke Sheriff’s Office states officers were called to Carolinas Healthcare Morganton where a woman was being treated for a gunshot wound.

An investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division revealed the incident occurred at a campsite off Old Highway 105.

Reports say two males got into a heated verbal argument which led to approximately four gunshots from a 380-caliber handgun being fired into the air,

Jasmine Adriel Lytle was struck in the back of the head with one of the projectiles.

She was later transported to Carolinas Med Center Charlotte where she is recovering from her injuries and is in stable condition.

43-year-old Paxton Gabriele Kirby of 3715 Piedmont Road Morganton is identified in the press release as the person who discharged the gun.

The investigation is continuing.

Findings will be turned over to the District Attorney’s office to determine if criminal charges will be filed.

A Nebo woman has been arrested and charged with breaking and entering.

Reports say James Bordeau of Green Sea South Carolina arrived at his residence on Old Highway 10 East, found the lights on, and a female inside.

The suspect was identified as 29-year-old Amber Dawn Honeycutt of 16 Mercy Lane.

Reports with the McDowell Sheriff’s Office say nothing was reported missing or damaged.

Two men have been charged with the assault of another man in Newton last week.

34-year-old James Thomas Cash and 28-year-old Stephen Kyle Tillery were both reportedly charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

According to published reports, 32-year-old Mark Andrews was beaten with a metal pipe and a wooden stick while on Franklin Street last Friday.

Andrews was transported to Wake Forest –Baptist Medical Center where he was stable Monday and able to speak with investigators.

The dispute between the three men was allegedly part of a domestic dispute that also involved a woman, according to officials.

A Burke County murder investigation reveals an alleged sex offense committed by a witness to the homicide.

A press release states 27-year-old Sherry Renee Lyden of 9385 Costner Road Hickory has been charged with statutory sex offense with a child by an adult.

The Criminal Investigation Division executed a search warrant on the cell phone belonging to David Andrew Barnes- the suspect charged in the murder of Roger Dewayne Hoglan that took place on August 15^th on the Costner Road.

During the forensic review of Barnes’ phone, images were reportedly found that broadened the investigation.

Lyden was interviewed at the Sheriff’s Office by investigators and later charged.

Her secured bond is set at 250-thousand-dollars.

The child sex offense investigation is continuing for both Lyden and Barnes.

Burke County Department of Social Services assisted in the case.

Federal agents and NC law enforcement agencies have launched an awareness campaign to remind students that online school threats are not a joke – and are typically felonies.

The FBI, state, and local authorities have kicked off the hashtag-Think Before You Post campaign last week.

An FBI news release states that threats, when proven, can result in charges carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Agents say in the aftermath of recent school shootings in Florida and elsewhere, law enforcement around the country has dealt with more school threats, many of them hoaxes.

Law enforcement has to take every threat seriously, thereby draining resources for actual emergencies.

Lead FBI agent John Strong says a strong message needs to be sent with the new school year that a threat against a school is not a joke- and can result in a felony conviction.

A Lincoln County woman has been charged in connection with the stabbing of her boyfriend Friday morning.

Deputies, responding to a reported domestic dispute and stabbing on Southside Road,  located 32-year-old John Matthew Hoyle who had ran to a neighboring yard.

He had sustained stab wounds to his back and hip, and was transported to a hospital in Gaston County.

Reports say Hoyle had climbed into a window of the residence where he and his girlfriend lived, because she would not let him in.

33-year-old Aftan Marie Moore reportedly grabbed a knife from Hoyle’s belt and stabbed him with it.

He had barricaded himself inside a bedroom, and reports say Moore attempted to stab him again as he ran from the house.

Moore was taken into custody and charged with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

She was placed under a no bond hold.

Thieves dressed as clowns broke into a Burke County business making off with a thousand-dollars worth of property.

Video surveillance at the business caught the pair in costume.

The business owner at Electric Eye Smoke Shop on NC 18 discovered the front door’s glass panel, lighting, and two security cameras destroyed in the break-in.

Once inside the business, display cases were broken and the painted floor sustained considerable damage.

Various items were taken ranging from lighters to vaping devices.

Officials estimated damages at 15-hundred-dollars.

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Morganton-Burke Crimestoppers at 437-3333.

Multiple local and state agencies work to locate and arrest a Valdese woman for a probation violation; discovering drugs in the process.

24-year-old Timberly Leanna Yelton of 1445 Ivory Pass was located on Hildebran Mountain Avenue in Connelly Springs by detectives with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office CID and Narcotics Division, Morganton Public Safety Narcotics, and the state’s probation and parole division.

Officials seized meth and drug paraphernalia during Yelton’s arrest.

She was transported to the magistrate’s office where she was served a warrant for probation violation, and additionally charged with possession of a schedule-two substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Yelton received a 15-thousand-dollar secured bond and was confined at Burke/Catawba Confinement facility with a court date set for September 10^th.

A Marion man already on probation now faces additional charges for drugs.

Rodrigo Valdez of East Orchard Street is charged with trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver meth, and numerous other drug offenses.

As Valdez is on probation, he is subject to warrantless searches.

Officials with the McDowell Sheriff’s Office, state probation and parole, NC SBI, and Marion Police searched his home – finding two-thousand Xanax pills, 29 grams of cocaine, 11 grams of methamphetamine, two handguns, and 10-thousand dollars in cash.

North Carolina insurance officials have approved new rates for next year’s Affordable Care Act.

Published reports indicate rates will go up in western NC even though they’re going down in other parts of the state.

A Blue Cross representative reports it ultimately comes down to competition among hospital systems, and because there’s not much competition in western NC, rate decreases for the affordable care act are more difficult to achieve.

In the western part of the state, rates are scheduled to increase 9-point-2 percent, but in other cities like Charlotte and Raleigh they’ll decrease up to 20-percent.

Legal experts say families who don’t qualify for financial assistance will be hit the hardest; adding that market stability and more certainty from lawmakers regarding the affordable care act are necessary to drive down insurance costs.

Open enrollment begins November 1^st.

A Hildebran man charged with kidnapping and attempted murder earlier this year will appear in Catawba County Superior Court this week.

25-year-old Brendon Withers was charged with three counts of first-degree kidnapping in Catawba County, and one count of attempted murder in Caldwell County.

Reports with Hickory Police say Withers kidnapped three men at Kirby Maintenance in Hickory April 27^th.

He reportedly drove them to Sawmills, where he shot and seriously injured one of the men.

Withers has remained in custody since the incident.

Two Lawndale residents have been charged in connection with a break-in and larceny in western Lincoln County.

52-year-old Michael Eugene Wright and 47-year-old Peggy Irene Canipe each face three felony counts of breaking and entering, and larceny after breaking and entering.

The two were also charged with four felony counts of possession of stolen property and two felony counts of larceny.

There charges stem from an incident in July that occurred on South NC 10 Highway where a home, barn, and outbuilding in which household items, a trailer, a Ford engine, and a motor stand were stolen.

Cleveland County Sheriff’s deputies assisted Lincoln by gaining information regarding the location of a utility trailer believed to have been taken during the break-in.

Warrants were obtained on Wright and Canipe’s property where deputies recovered several thousand dollars worth of stolen goods.

Wright’s bond was set at 125-thousand-dollars secured while Canipe’s was secured at 99-hundred dollars.

The investigation is continuing with additional charges possible.

A Lincoln County inmate has been charged with taking indecent liberties with a minor sometime between 2011 and 2016.

St. Charles Illinois authorities had contacted Lincoln officials in July regarding a child sexual assault that had reportedly taken place in Lincoln.

The victim is now 13 years old and living in Illinois where she told Child Advocacy officers she had been sexually assaulted by 35-year-old Rey David Blanco-Palmar formerly of Lincolnton.

Reports state the victim, who is related to the suspect, told officials she had been assaulted on numerous occasions when she was between 6 and 12 by Blanco-Palmer at his home in Lincoln County.

Blanco-palmer has been confined since his arrest June 21^st on charges of indecent liberties with a child, first degree sex offense, and kidnapping.

Two felony counts of indecent liberties with a child have been added to his charges.

He was given a 30-thousand-dollar secured bond bringing his total bond to 530-thousand secured.

A Hickory man pleads guilty to numerous drug offences and is sentenced to prison.

34-year-old Derek Scott Frenceschini will serve up to 10 years for cocaine and meth possession, fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle and possession of counterfeit instruments.

His sentence is enhanced due to his habitual felon status with prior drug convictions in 2004 and 2008, and obtaining property by false pretenses in 2011.

In May 2014, Frenceschini was in possession of meth when he was picked up on arrest orders.

Later that year in August, he led officers on a chase through Hickory into Burke County before crashing his vehicle.

He was found to be in possession of cocaine, meth, and counterfeit currency on several occasions in 2015; and in possession of meth in February of this year.

Thieves reportedly stole 10-thousand-dollars worth of jewelry during a home invasion in Marion.

Nikia Meadows of Jacktown Road told deputies someone went through the underpinning of her mobile home, and cut a hole in the bedroom floor to access her residence.

It’s also alleged thieves took a 2004 Acura from the property as well.

Two women were caught on video surveillance at the site of the break-in.

Anyone with information about the incident can call the McDowell Sheriff’s Office at 652-2237.

A Black Mountain man who broke into a Marion car wash and led deputies on a two-county chase was sentenced to a prison term in McDowell County Superior Court.

27-year-old Teddy Justin Rathbone will serve at least our years after being found guilty of habitual breaking and entering.

He was also found guilty of fleeing or eluding arrest with a motor vehicle.

Sheriff’s reports state Rathbone was involved in a domestic dispute at Walmart in Marion in February.

When officers arrived, Rathbone reportedly led them on a chase from Marion to Black Mountain, where he was apprehended.

An officer recognized Rathbone’s vehicle as one possibly used by a suspect at a break-in just days prior at a Marion car wash.

A search of the vehicle turned up burglary tools and some of the stolen property from the car wash.

McDowell County Sheriff’s Office investigators are on the lookout for a stolen motorcycle and a person of interest in the case.

Glenn Gardner of 5904 US 70 Old Fort reported his 2014 Suzuki motorcycle with NC tag 6E3204 was taken from his residence.

At the time the bike was stolen, 45-year-old Crystal Anne Searle Silvernale was living at the residence.

She is wanted for questioning in the case.

Anyone with information about Silvernale’s whereabouts or the location of the stolen bike should call the McDowell Sheriff’s Office at 652-2237 or McDowell Crime Stoppers at 652-CRIME.

With Crime Stoppers, your identity remains anonymous and you could receive a cash reward.

A Sylva-based company will soon locate a facility in Burke County – bringing new jobs to the area, and more than an 11-million-dollar investment over the next five years.

Jackson Corrugated will be housed in the American Roller Bearing building on Chain Drive in Morganton.

The company is a subsidiary of Jackson Paper Company which has been based in Sylva since its inception in 1995.

In 2016, a subsidiary company was established in Dalton, Georgia that processes rolled paper from Sylva into corrugated cardboard products.

A demand for the product has outgrown the Dalton facility, causing officials to search for a facility in NC.

Morganton’s facility, like the Georgia operation, will process Sylva’s rolled paper into small cardboard products and will employ 42 workers.

One NC funding in the amount of 100-thousand-dollars has been awarded to the company.

Jackson Corrugated was also awarded a 276-thousand dollar grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation for the purchase of equipment.

A Bryson City man faces an indecent liberties charge in McDowell County.

The McDowell Sheriff’s Office charged 76-year-old Scotty Joe Jornigan with taking indecent liberties with a child.

Reports say the incident occurred sometime between June 2012 and August 2015 whenever Jornigan lived in Nebo.

The victim was reportedly 7 to 10 years old at the time and acquainted with Jornigan.

Sheriff’s Office reports the victim just recently disclosed the accusations to family members, who then contacted authorities.

A Cleveland County Sheriff's deputy is recovering today at a Charlotte hospital after being shot Tuesday night.

The incident occurred between Shelby and Kings Mountain on Highway 74. Investigators were able to locate the suspect in Cabarrus County by using surveillance video in the deputy's dashcam.

The suspect was placed in the Cleveland County Jail and will be charged with attempted murder, according to News 13.

The State Highway Patrol and SBI are assisting local authorities in the case.

The case against a Lenoir man accused of a June murder in Burke County will proceed as a capital matter.

Prosecutors for the State announced during Burke County Superior Court on Monday, that they will seek the death penalty in the murder case against 37-year-old Joshua Nathaniel Beard.

Beard was arrested by law enforcement officers in Myrtle Beach, in connection with the June 17th death of Robin Berry Teague, and returned to jail in Burke County.

The case remains under investigation by the Burke County Sheriff's Office and SBI.

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina recently received a donation of an 8-acre parcel of undeveloped, forested land along the Henry Fork River in Burke County from members of the Corbitt family.

The property contains 2,100 linear feet of the Henry Fork River, a waterway designated by the State as Outstanding Resource Waters because of the river's exceptional state or ecological significance. The conservancy will restrict the property with a conservation easement to protect water quality.

Foothills Conservancy anticipates partnering with the North Carolina Wildlife resources Commission - Inland Fisheries to develop public access to the Henry Fork River in the near future.

A Granite Falls woman will spend at least four years in prison after a Caldwell County jury found her guilty of robbery with a dangerous weapon and second-degree kidnapping during Caldwell County Superior Court last week.

The jury returned a gulity verdict for 50-year-old Judy Potter Norris on Wednesday and she was sentenced to an active prison term of four to six years.

Norris pulled into a Granite Falls convenience store on January 19th, 2017 and pointed a .22 caliber handgun at an employee, told him he was being robbed and forced him into a store bathroom, locking him in from the outside. Norris then walked to the cash register and took money from it along with rolled coins found under the counter.

A Marion man who attempted to stab a church member last June was given at least two years in prison in McDowell County Superior Court.

25-year-old Joshua James Betke was sentenced to 24 to 41 months in prison, with credit for 398 days served.

Betke had been found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

In June 2017, Marion Police were called to East Marion Baptist where church members were holding Betke down after he had tried to stab another church-goer.

Previous reports state Betke had then been staying at the local men’s shelter and came to the church to speak with his case worker from the shelter.

An altercation ensued with Betke attempting to stab the victim with a large knife.

He was later taken into custody under an 18-thousand-dollar bond.

Published reports say Betke has been previously charged in McDowell County with larceny and breaking and entering.

Records show he additionally has a drug offense in Michigan.

The Morganton City Council approved a measure at its Monday night meeting that allocates 120-thousand-dollars for low interest loans to aid in the creation of downtown housing in the central business district.

The Downtown Housing Improvement program establishes guidelines for allowing qualified and vetted applicants to receive a loan of up to 10-thousand dollars per unit.

The loans will be awarded on a first-come first-serve basis, and are designed to assist property owners in acquiring downtown housing.

Once the loan is awarded, the recipient will be required to begin construction within six months.

The loans will assist property owners in making necessary upgrades to structures in order to meet required state and local fire codes.

Catawba County Animal Services has confirmed the eighth case of rabies in the county so far this year.

Tuesday, Animal Services officials responded to a call from a Claremont resident whose dog came into contact with a raccoon.

The raccoon was sent to the state’s public health lab for testing.

Catawba animal services were notified today that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

The dog was reportedly up to date on its rabies vaccine, but received a booster shortly after the incident.

Signs that an animal may be infected with rabies include loss of appetite, irritability, unusual aggression, and difficulty swallowing.

Rabies is a threat to pets and humans year-round.

Longtime Hickory City Council member Z. Ann Hoyle passed away Tuesday at the age of 75.

Hoyle served as a council woman from 1991 until 2009.

Family members say she believed in and fought for civil rights, community, children, family, and above all – God.

A Ronda  man, wanted on robbery charges in Burke County, was arrested by Asheville authorities Wednesday.

42-year-old Gary Adrian Church had open warrants for several robberies also in Asheville and in Iredell County.

A press release states shortly after 9:30 am Asheville police began a foot pursuit with Church.

He reportedly fled on foot into a wooded area behind the Double Tree Hotel in Biltmore Village.

As a precaution, several businesses in the area were on lockdown.

Asheville’s crisis negotiation team responded to the area and maintained communication with Church.

After approximately 3 hours, the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

There were no reported injuries to officers or to the suspect.

Church was charged with fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, speeding, and common law robbery.

Reports state Church robbed the Citgo convenience store on Tunnel Road Tuesday.

Biltmore Forest Police assisted on scene.

The investigation is on-going.

McDowell County is now home to a Christian boys’ summer camp.

Camp Timberlake, based primarily out of Black Mountain for the past 35 years opened the new camp in Marion June 4^th.

The newly opened camp is home to some 20 new facilities and structures, including a 7 and one-half acre lake with instructional swimming, mountain bike trails, craft studios, rock-climbing towers, and a puppy camp to teach campers about animal responsibility.

For more information on Camp Timberlake or enrollment dates, visit camptimberlake-dot-com or go to their Facebook page.

The Burke Football jamboree takes place at Draughn High School Friday with gates opening at 4 pm.

The first match up at 5 pm is Patton versus North Buncombe.

The second game starts at 6:15 between Freedom and RS Central.

The third game has East Burke facing South Caldwell at 7:30.

And the night’s final scrimmage is Draughn versus North Buncombe.

Admission for all is 10-dollars.

Concession stands will be open.

City of Morganton residents are again reporting that scammers are calling homes and businesses threatening to disconnect their electric service.

A news release says the scammers demand immediate payment over the phone, claiming to be a technician with the city.

The City of Morganton will never call any utility customer by phone demanding immediate payment.

City of Morganton customers who are behind on a payment will be notified through their utility bill.

Officials say if you receive such a call, do not listen to the scammer’s instructions.

Instead, hang up immediately and contact Morganton’s Electric Department at 438-5277.

And a reminder, do not share any personal information with a scammer and do not return any phone calls.

Two Lincoln County residents are arrested for fraud Wednesday after illegally using someone’s PayPal account to shop on eBay.

According to detectives, the victim’s credit card linked to their PayPal account was used three separate times to purchase eBay items that were then delivered to the suspect’s house.

Detectives say a fourth transaction occurred that transferred cash from the victim’s account to another PayPal account belonging to the suspect’s roommate.

36-year-old Jessica Lynn Propst was charged with four felony counts of identity theft and two misdemeanor counts of financial card fraud.

Propst was issued a 3-thousand-dollar secured bond.

61-year-old George Adamo was charged with misdemeanor accessory after the fact of a felony.

He received a 15-hundred-dollar unsecured bond.

North Carolina fire officials are traveling cross-country to lend a helping hand to California firefighters.

The NC Forest Service has sent more than 20 trained crew members to assist in the battle against raging wildfires there.

Reports say they will be specifically helping with the Ferguson fire, that has already engulfed nearly 63-thousand acres.

A Morganton man faces assault and kidnapping charges after officers responded to a welfare check Wednesday  morning.

Family members of the victim contacted Morganton Public Safety after failing to hear from her for several days, fearing that she was being held against her will.

Officers went to an address on Patton Road where they reportedly knocked several times and identified themselves, but no one would come to the door.

The news release stated officers observed people inside the home and the interior lights were on.

Minutes later, officers heard screams for help coming from the residence prompting forced entry into the home.

Reports say on the second floor of the residence, they discovered an adult female with apparent injuries, a juvenile child, and two other adults.

The suspect, 31-year-old Donald Silvester Cunningham, Junior of 104 Patton Street was found by officers in the basement hiding behind a shelf.

The female victim confirmed she was being held against her will and is known to Cunningham; however, their relationship was not disclosed.

She was transported to Carolinas Med Center Morganton for treatment.

Cunningham is charged with numerous assault offenses- four of which are felony charges.

He is being held at the Burke Catawba Confinement facility currently without bond.

A Valdese woman is among four people arrested at a Hickory convenience store for drug trafficking.

Around 1 am Monday, Hickory Police reportedly made the arrests at the Raceway Convenience on Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard.

48-year-old Nancy Cha of Valdese was charged with one felony count each of trafficking meth and possession of a controlled substance.

Cha was issued a 75-thousand-dollar secured bond.

34-year-old Anita Yang, 30-year-old Ger Yang, and 33-year-old Chou Lee all of Hickory were also each charged with felony trafficking in meth.

Anita Yang was issued a 50-thousand-dollar secured bond, while Ger Yang’s and Lee’s were set at 75-thousand secured each.

Reports say all four remain in custody at the Catawba County jail.

A Nebo man faces weapon and drug charges following a search of his vehicle by McDowell officers.

42-year-old Billy Joe Kennedy of 151 Amy Drive was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of up to one-half ounce marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Deputies searched the car Kennedy was driving and discovered a handgun, 6-point-3 grams of marijuana, and items of drug paraphernalia.