A phone call just before Noon Monday from a concerned citizen leads to the arrest of a fugitive – wanted by Morganton authorities since mid-May.

23-year-old Ezra Harold Patton was positively identified and taken into custody by public safety officers, following a call to emergency communications that he had been spotted at Healthy Petz on Enola Road.

Reports say Patton has been on the run since May 18^th for his involvement in an armed robbery at 118 Lenoir Road.

During the robbery, three subjects were injured.

Patton has been served with a true bill of indictment for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and assault by pointing a gun.

He was placed in the Burke Catawba Detention Facility under a 500-thousand dollar secured bond with a court date set for July 29^th.

A Lenoir man racks up numerous felony drug charges and a firearm offense after a search was carried out at a residence.

Last Thursday afternoon following a month-long investigation, Lenoir narcotic’s officers and the department’s special response team served a search warrant at 103 Carolina Drive in Lenoir.

Investigators discovered a variety of drugs; including meth, cocaine, and fentanyl.

They also reportedly seized a 9 mm AK-47 pistol and 210-dollars in US currency.

The seized drugs were valued at more than 14-hundred dollars.

37-year-old Joshua Norman Chandler was arrested at the scene on multiple charges, and received an 85-thousand dollar secured bond.

Reports say additional charges will be forthcoming.

An attack described as ‘savage’ by the Lincoln County Sheriff leaves four detention officers injured, and three inmates charged.

A news release states that around 9:30 Saturday evening, an inmate 43-year-old Larry Wade Stanley Junior of Lincolnton was acting unruly refusing to return to his cell.

As detention officers were physically moving Stanley to his cell, two other inmates 24-year-old Thomas McDonald of Denver and 29-year-old Dustin Ensley of Lincolnton came up behind the officers and began to assault them.

The officers sustained injuries to their face, head, and arms, while one officer sustained a concussion.

They were transported to Atrium Health Lincoln for treatment.

The Lincoln Sheriff’s Office and Lincolnton Police were dispatched to assist; however, the inmates had been placed back in their cell upon their arrival.

Stanley was charged with felony attempted first degree murder, assault by strangulation, four felony counts of assault inflicting serious injury on a law enforcement officer and conspiracy.

He was placed under a no bond hold.

McDonald and Ensley also face assault and conspiracy charges.

They were placed under a 100-thousand dollar secured bond each.

A news release from the district attorney’s office says the state will not seek the death penalty in the murder case against a Vale man.

47-year-old Joseph Wayne Barker is charged in the April shooting death of his wife 43-year-old Crystal Johnson Barker.

He fled the crime scene and was located two days later in Transylvania County.

During a hearing in Catawba County Superior Court today, prosecutors announced their intent to proceed with the case against Barker as a non-capital murder.

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case.