COVID UPDATE

Caldwell County saw the number of Covid 19 cases increase by 23 yesterday as

there are now 277 cases in the County.  134 patients have recovered.  Catawba

County had an increase of ten cases yesterday.  The total number of Covid-19

cases in Catawba now numbers 480,  230 of those cases have recovered and 14

patients are hospitalized.  McDowell County added 5 new cases yesterday for a

total of 158.  55 patients there are out of quarantine.

Catawba Arrest

A 52 year old Mountain View man has been arrested in connection with a burned

ambulance owned by the CVCC Paramedic Training program.  Paul Peter Lavoie

has been charged with breaking and entering a vehicle and burning personal

property.  He was placed in the Catawba County Jail under a fifteen thousand

dollar secured bond with a first court appearance set for today.

Old Soldiers Reunion Cancelled 

An event on the City of Newton’s calendar since 1889 has been cancelled this year

for the 1^st time since the polio epidemic of the 1940’s.  The Old Soldiers Reunion

Parade will not be held this year.  Parade organizers cite Covid-19 as the reason

for cancelling this year’s parade.  A Reunion Service to pay tribute to veterans will

be held at 4 p.m. on August 20^th at the Old Courthouse in downtown Newton.

Silver Alerts

Silver Alerts were issued Wednesday for two individuals in Cleveland and

Rutherford Counties. Citizens are asked to be on the lookout for 54-year-old

Catherine Blanche Deery, last seen in Charlotte. She is a white female, 5 feet

2 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds with blond hair and green eyes. She is

missing from 4922 Ellenboro Road in Mooresboro. Anyone with information

should call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704-484-4822.

In Rutherford County, a Silver Alert was issued for 56-year-old Bernard Leroy

Kauffmann. He is a white male, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds and

has short brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone having any information should

call the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office at 828-286-2911.

Murder Suspect Sought

Asheville Police need the public’s help in locating a person of interest in a

stabbing. Officers Monday afternoon responded to 1460 Patton Avenue and

found 66-year-old Michael Eugene Hirt with multiple stab wounds. He was

taken to Mission Hospital where he died from his injuries. Police are looking

for 55-year-old Todd Nathan Housel, who has been charged with first degree

murder. He is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs

162 pounds and has blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information should

call Asheville Police at 828-252-1110.

Hit and Run Suspect Wanted

The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the whereabouts of 44-year-old

James Monroe Sheets of Taylorsville in reference to a felony hit and run incident

which occurred on Highway 90 West near Emma Brooke Lane last night, where

Aapedestrian was struck. Sheets is described as a white male, 5 feet 7 inches,

weighs 180 pounds and has brown hair and eyes. Anyone with any information

can call the Sheriff’s Office at 828-632-2911 or Crime Stoppers at 632-8555.