A new North Carolina bill would mean harsher penalties for dealers who sell drugs to customers who overdose and die.

The new charge called ‘Death by Distribution’ would carry a sentence ranging from 3 and a half to 17 years.

Death by Distribution would not require prosecutors to prove malice or intent to kill.

Representatives from Union and Onslow Counties filed the bill Wednesday.

Reports show that current state laws limit the prosecutor’s ability to charge drug dealers in overdose cases with first or second-degree murder.

Typically, such cases result in involuntary manslaughter charges, which can carry a sentence of just 10 to 20 months.

Under the new bill, a death by distribution charge could be brought against a drug dealer where death results from their distribution of an opioid, meth, or cocaine.

Representatives emphasized the need for the bill in NC is to help fight the growing opioid epidemic.

Atrium Health hospitals have lifted flu restrictions for visitors 12 and under.

The restrictions have been lifted due to the significant drop in the number of patients with flu-like symptoms.

The lift affects all Charlotte-region hospitals including Atrium Health facilities in Burke and Lincoln Counties.

Officials say despite the lift, health officials urge anyone with flu-like symptoms to refrain from visiting the hospital to help control the spread of illness.

Restrictions were initially put in place back in February as our area experienced an increase in flu cases.

Maintenance on the bell system at an Alexander County High School triggered law enforcement investigation this morning according to a Facebook posting.

School personnel at Alexander Central executed what they call a ‘code down’ in which administration deems a situation requires students be kept contained in the classroom when possible immediate danger to students or staff is perceived.

Several law enforcement officers responded to assist the resource officers who were already there.

Upon investigation, school officials say the bell system malfunction was caused by maintenance being performed.

Taylorsville Police, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, and Emergency Services assisted at the incident.

Maintenance on the bell system at an Alexander County High School triggered law enforcement investigation this morning according to a Facebook posting.

School personnel at Alexander Central executed what they call a ‘code down’ in which administration deems a situation requires students be kept contained in the classroom when possible immediate danger to students or staff is perceived.

Several law enforcement officers responded to assist the resource officers who were already there.

Upon investigation, school officials say the bell system malfunction was caused by maintenance being performed.

Taylorsville Police, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, and Emergency Services assisted at the incident.

A wheelchair-bound man was killed in a house fire in Alexander County Tuesday evening, while his wife sustained severe burns trying to save him.

The fire broke out in the Stony Point area around 5:30.

75-year-old David Gaines reportedly died from injuries he received.

Gaines’ wife 74-year-old Alta Gaines was attempting to get him and his wheelchair to a rear door of the home; however, reports say she collapsed.

Neighbors, reports say, were able to pull Mr Gaines from the burning structure; while Ms Gaines, once free from the structure, had sustained second and third degree burns to 30-percent of her body.

She was then airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center.

Officials with the SBI and Alexander Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the cause of the fire.

An electrical malfunction is suspected.

Two rabies cases have been reported in Lincoln County after several dogs in the area were exposed to the infected skunks.

Animal control officers located the pair of skunks in the Lawndale area – both tested positive for rabies.

The exposed dogs were up to date on their rabies vaccines and only required a booster vaccination and home quarantine.

Animal services officials remind pet owners of the importance of vaccinating dogs, cats, and ferrets over the age of four months.

Catawba County has also confirmed two cases of rabies thus far this year.

For the first time, the Federal Aviation Administration is allowing the use of drones to fly blood samples across a North Carolina hospital campus.

Short trips between WakeMed buildings in Raleigh began Tuesday in the hospital’s latest move to expand their roles in business and health care.

The WakeMed program will fly samples one-third of a mile from a medical park to the main hospital building for lab testing at least six times a day, five days a week.

The aim is to reduce the time it takes to transport time-sensitive samples typically taken by ground transport.

NC is one of nine sites participating in the FAA’s pilot program to integrate the use of drones in new innovations.

Two men – one from Caldwell County, the other from Catawba County were caught up in a Lincoln County drug sting Thursday.

Acting on a tip, narcotics officers set up a drug surveillance operation near the intersection of Car Farm Road and Highway 321.

Investigators witnessed a drug transaction and stopped the suspect vehicle.

A search of the car led to the seizure of 2-and a-half ounces of cocaine.

25-year-old Tevan Ikard of Hudson faces several drug trafficking charges and was given a 200-thousand dollar secured bond.

He appeared in court earlier today.

32-year-old Johnny Trevor Rippy of Newton was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Caldwell County for felony possession of cocaine.

He was issued a 5-thousand dollar secured bond, and jailed in Caldwell County.

Additional charges are pending.

One of Burke County's Most Wanted has been arrested after a standoff.

According to the Burke County Sheriff's Office, the hour long standoff occurred Friday at a residence near Lake James at 4558 Cobb Avenue.

28-year-old Tyler Dewayne South of Rainhill Church Road, Morganton, was taken into custody without incident. He faces new felony and  misdemeanor charges in addition to Burke and McDowell warrants already issued.

Another person in the residence, Krystal Renee Johnson was arrested after detectives found methamphetamine and marijuana on her.

Both South and Johnson are scheduled to appear in District Court on Tuesday. Further investigations are ongoing.

High winds and low humidity were major contributors to the rapid spread of a fire at a residence in Morganton Friday afternoon.

Public Safety was dispatched just before 4 o'clock to the corner of Vinearden Road and Jessie Drive to the single family home. The fire had engulfed the rear of the home and was being pushed by the wind out the front and into the surrounding yard and wood line. A brush fire that was burning toward a neighboring house was quickly extinguished.

The four occupants of the home were out of town and accounted for.

No injuries were reported and the investigation is continuing with no indication of wrong-doing discovered or reported. 

A South Carolina man faces death by vehicle charges related to an incident that occurred in Caldwell County six years ago.

35-year-old Neal Audet has been arrested by authorities who believe he is responsible for a crash on Zacks Fork Road in Lenoir that killed a man in January 2013.

He is charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving while impaired and driving while license revoked, in addition to the felony count of aggravated death by a vehicle.

Audet was jailed under a 200-thousand dollar bond.

His court date is set for April 29^th.

A camera placed in a tanning bed at a Hickory fitness center lands a Sherrills Ford man in jail.

50-year-old Darren Rodney Astles is charged with felony peeping using a photographic imaging device and felony possessing a photographic image from a photographic imaging device.

He is reportedly accused of placing a video recording device in a tanning bed room at Planet Fitness in Viewmont.

Last week a woman preparing to use the tanning bed discovered the device.

Astles was given a 12-thousand dollar bond and appears in court today.

McDowell County authorities have confirmed a man reported missing Monday afternoon has been found unharmed Tuesday.

41-year-old Robby Preswood was reported last seen yesterday walking on Hill Road in the Clinchfield area.

The McDowell Sheriff’s Office thanks the public for their assistance in locating Preswood.

The US Forest Service is planning a 197-acre prescribed burn in northern Caldwell County today.

The burn area is part of the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest.

Be aware of the potential for firefighter traffic near the area – the Nature Conservancy, the NC Forest Service, and Blowing Rock Volunteer firefighters are assisting in burn operations.

The burn is part of the Grandfather Restoration Project to restore 40-thousand acres of the Grandfather Ranger District.

Forest Service personnel report the prescribed burn benefits native forests and woodlands; and threatened and endangered species, while reducing costs and severity of future wildfires.

Following a two-month investigation into drug activity, Caldwell County authorities have issued felony charges against four individuals.

Just after 9 Thursday night, officers with Lenoir Police Narcotics and Special Response Team assisted by the Caldwell Sheriff’s office searched a residence at 1301 Jolly Place.

Officials discovered and seized 2-point-8 grams of meth, a sawed-off shot gun, and 510-dollars in cash.

26-year-old Adam Christopher Daly of Lenoir, 29-year-old Brittany Correl Greene of Hudson, 50-year-old Carolyn Elizabeth Gibson of Lenoir, and 34-year-old Michael Shane Coffey of Lenoir were arrested at the scene.

All four face felony drug charges while Daly was also charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, along with possession of a firearm by a felon.

His bond was set at 100-thousand dollars secured.

Greene was issued a 20-thousand dollar secured bond, Coffey’s secured at 15-thousand, and Gibson’s 10-thousand secured.

Reports say additional charges may be forthcoming.

McDowell officers pulled a driver for having a fictitious tag, and discovered a habitual felon with outstanding warrants.

40 year-old Daniel McCoy Bradley of Marion faces numerous drug and various offenses after a search of his vehicle revealed three stolen handguns, 21-point-5 grams of meth, drug paraphernalia and cash.

He was also served with two outstanding grand jury indictments for operating a vehicle with no insurance and habitual felon.

Bradley was convicted of manufacturing a Schedule-two controlled substance in 2004.

The state highway patrol also charged Bradley with multiple traffic violations.

Officials with the state’s department of health and human services say the flu has killed nine more people in the state – bringing the season’s total death count to 135.

The agency however reports the most current number doesn’t reflect all flu-related deaths in NC, as many go unreported or undiagnosed.

Unofficial reports say that last week was the third straight week that the number of flu-associated deaths has fallen.

A Morganton man is sentenced to at least six years in prison for a conviction of robbery with a dangerous weapon and larceny of a motor vehicle.

43-year-old Billy Earl Murphy pleaded guilty in Burke Superior Court Thursday.

Reports say Murphy attacked a female on February 4^th 2017 as she walked to her vehicle.

He reportedly knocked her to the ground, struck her in the head, and held her at gunpoint.

Murphy attempted to conceal his identity using a mask and hood; however, his victim recognized him.

He then fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle, but was later located at a local convenience store in possession of the victim’s car and other items.

A Hickory woman convicted in a Burke County assault and robbery will now serve another 10 years for a similar incident in Old Fort.

59-year-old Patricia Welborn Hunley was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony breaking and entering.

She was sentenced to 10 and one-half to nearly 14 years in prison.

In 2016, a male and two females had entered the home of an Old Fort man, beat him with a sledgehammer and robbed him.

The suspects were identified as Hunley, 34-year-old Samantha Moore and 43-year-old Stacy Heatley.

Moore and Heatley are both from Morganton, while Heatley was also involved in another brutal assault along with Hunley in the Salem area of Burke County.

A week after the Old Fort attack, 72-year-old Ronald Moody was beaten with a claw hammer, robbed, and left for dead.

Both Hunley and Heatley were charged with attempted first-degree murder in the Burke case and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

Hickory Fire investigators now suspect the cause of an apartment fire Monday afternoon to have been intentional.

Firefighters discovered smoke and flames coming from the structure on 15^th Street Drive Northeast.

Officials located one person in a front apartment, carried them out of the burning building to an awaiting ambulance.

Reports say the victim was transported to a local hospital for injuries unrelated to the fire.

No other injuries were reported.

Fire damage was listed as major according to a release.

Hickory Police and Fire continue to investigate.

The seizure of 478 grams of methamphetamine by Lincoln County narcotics officers led to the arrest of an Upstate man.

A news release says an investigation into trafficking began in Lincoln February 1^st where the meth seized was valued at more than 38-thousand dollars.

The investigation further led to Pickens County, where authorities joined forces with Homeland Security officials to seize 2-point-7 pounds of crystal meth, and 1-point-5 pounds of liquid meth with a combined street value of 150-thousand dollars.

Pickens officers then arrested 57-year-old Bruce Allen Howland.

He is charged with two felony counts of trafficking meth and is being held without bond.

The investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.

State lawmakers have re-introduced a push to allow NC teachers to carry guns in school.

Senate Bill 192, which is also being called the School Security Act of 2019, would offer a five-percent salary boost to teachers who complete basic law enforcement training.

Teachers would then have to re-certify training yearly.

Republican Senator Warren Daniel was quoted as saying the teachers would receive the training equivalent of a reserve deputy.

If it passes, the bill would provide more than 9-million dollars to cover training and raises for educators.

Teachers reportedly would also be given the same arresting powers on campus as school resource officers.

A former lieutenant with the Burke County Narcotics Task Force gets probation and is ordered to pay back monies he took in Burke Superior Court Wednesday.

46-year-old Jody Price of Morganton was given a suspended sentence of 13 to 25 months following his guilty plea to embezzlement by a public official or trustee.

Judge Robert Ervin from Burke County placed Price on a 4-year probation period with the order that he pay 13-thousand-329 dollars in restitution- funds he reportedly took from the narcotic’s task force for his personal use.

Price was relieved of his duties in March 2018 upon discovery he was misusing the funds.

Burke Sheriff Steve Whisenant requested an investigation by the NC SBI which showed from August 2017 to March 2018, Price mishandled a portion of funds for the Task Force’s operations.  

Already an inmate, a Morganton man receives a separate prison term following an assault at a Burke County prison in 2014.

40-year-old Olantomus Goode will serve three to five years after being convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

The ruling coming down in Burke Superior Court Wednesday by Judge Robert Ervin.

The assault took place at Foothills Correctional Institute June 13^th 2014, when Goode was involved in an altercation with a fellow inmate.

Reports say the victim was sitting at a table when Goode began swinging a sock containing a sink spigot from his cell.

He struck the victim in the head multiple times.

Previously, Goode was incarcerated for felony robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.

A  second incident at Foothills Correctional Institute in Morganton last year results in the sentencing of a Gastonia man.

21-year-old Jose Rios will serve a seven to nine year prison term following his conviction for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

During Burke Superior Court, Rios pleaded guilty to the charges Wednesday.

Rios is currently serving a 28-year sentence for two second-degree murder convictions in Gaston County from July 2017.

The most recent sentence will come at the end of his current term.

On March 7 2018, Rios stabbed a corrections officer at Foothills four times with a nearly 7-inch shank; striking him in the lower neck, shoulder, and in the back.

He attempted to stab another officer before fleeing into a housing wing of the unit before being apprehended.

The injured officer remained hospitalized for 5 days because of lung injuries. 

Rios will be deported to his home country of Honduras upon his release from prison.

For the first time this flu season in NC, a child who was 4 or younger died from a flu-related illness last week – that reported Thursday by the state department of health and human services.

Also a child between 5 and 17 died, as well as a young adult between 18 and 24; raising the death toll for the season to 119.

So far, 73 of the victims were 65 or older.

According to health officials, 11 people died from the flu last week, and 10 more were added to the list from previous observations.

At the same time last season, there were 263 flu-related deaths.

A Lexington man convicted in the 2017 robbery of a Morganton jewelry store will spend 8 to 11 years in prison.

36-year-old Shannon James Diehl was handed the sentence in Burke County Superior Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to all charges.

He has been convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of second-degree kidnapping.

A news release states video surveillance from the store showed two suspects enter the store – one with a pistol.

The suspects forced three employees against a wall; while they proceeded to smash display cases with hammers, stealing more than 430-thousand dollars worth of goods before fleeing the scene.

Reports say they were later apprehended in Lenoir.

A man previously convicted of statutory rape in Burke County in 2014 now faces additional charges.

27-year-old Malachi Thomas Owens has now been charged by McDowell authorities with a sex offender registry violation; in that he failed to report a change of address.

Owens was sentenced to serve 72 to 96 months in prison and was released in September 2018.

He then registered as a sex offender in McDowell County and was living on Baldwin Avenue in Marion.

State probation and parole officers informed the Sheriff’s Office in late January that Owens was no longer living there; that he had in fact moved to Morganton and had not made authorities aware of the move.

Owens has been charged with a parole violation.

A Lenoir couple faces multiple drug charges following an early morning search of their residence Wednesday.

39-year-old Kenneth Joe Taylor and 41-year-old Patricia Diane Bare both of 207 Whitnel Place were arrested following a month long investigation by Lenoir authorities.

Narcotics officers assisted by the Special Response Team found and seized 103 grams of methamphetamine, a pistol, 6 long barreled firearms, and more than 11-hundred dollars in currency.

Taylor and Bare each face felony charges of trafficking in meth, the manufacture, sell, or deliver controlled substance within 1000 feet of a school, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for a controlled substance, and the manufacture of a schedule two controlled substance.

In addition, Taylor was charged with felony possession of a firearm by a felon.

He received a 500-thousand dollar secured bond; while Bare was issued a 400-thousand dollar secured bond.

Both have initial court dates set for today.

A news release states the drugs seized at the residence were valued at 15-thousand-450 dollars according to NC state guidelines.

A residential robbery in Hickory Tuesday leads to the arrest of two women.

Reports say Hickory Police responded to a robbery on Sixth Street Southwest where a 21-year-old female gave officers a description of the suspect vehicle.

Officers later spotted the car and arrested both 27-year-old Ashleigh Young of Conover and 27-year-old Tristan Smith of Hickory.

A search of the pair reportedly turned up point-7 grams of cocaine on Young.

Young was charged with one felony count each of common law robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

She is also reportedly charged with one misdemeanor count of simple assault on a handicapped person.

Smith was charged with one felony count of common law robbery.

According to reports, the 420-dollars that was stolen from the victim was recovered and returned.

Young received a 15-thousand dollar secured bond, while Smith was issued a 2-thousand dollar secured bond.

Two suspects wanted in Catawba County are arrested in Statesville on drug charges.

Reports say Matthew Paul Houston and Candida Dawn Bernard were stopped by Iredell County officers for a traffic violation.

While checking Houston’s driver license, officers discovered he was wanted for absconding from NC Probation and Parole in Catawba County.

Bernard was the passenger in Houston’s vehicle and reportedly falsified her identity to authorities.

They later discovered though she too was absconding from probation and parole.

Officers also located marijuana and meth in Houston’s possession.

Houston, reports say, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia; while served an outstanding arrest warrant.

He was given a 10-thousand dollar secured bond.

Bernard was charged with felony possession with intent to sell and deliver meth and possession of meth.

She faces several misdemeanor charges as well; along with the outstanding warrant from Catawba County.

Bernard was given a 40-thousand dollar secured bond.

A Shelby man is arrested in connection with the assault and robbery of a Lincoln woman last week.

33-year-old Buddy Edward Weeks faces numerous charges after a domestic dispute broke out at a home he was reportedly doing repairs on in Lincoln County.

During the argument the female victim had a firearm that was picked up by Weeks whenever she sustained a fall.

Weeks reportedly struck her in the head with the gun.

She was treated on the scene by EMS after the assailant had left the scene.

Weeks was taken into custody today and issued a 54-thousand dollar secured bond.

His first court appearance is today in Lincoln County.

A 17-year-old has been charged with having drugs on a McDowell County School campus.

The unnamed female was charged by McDowell deputies with possessing marijuana on the campus at McDowell High.

Authorities had received a tip the teen had drugs, while a search of her belongings turned up a misdemeanor amount of marijuana.

The Governor has declared this as Severe Weather Preparedness Week in NC.

Cooper urges all North Carolinians to be alert – that means knowing exactly what to do when an emergency strikes, whether it be a blizzard or a hurricane.

Officials say the week’s proclamation is perfect timing; in that the Red Cross just wrapped up a weekend of disaster training.

And severe weather preparedness isn’t just for professionals – it’s also a great time to get your evacuation kit ready. 

Prepare enough supplies to last three days per person, including food, water, and medication.

State officials are planning a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning at 9:30.