COVID-19 UPDATE

Burke County Public Health was notified Friday of the thirty-fifth Covid-19 related

death in the County.  The individual was in their 70’s and was hospitalized but

died from their underlying medical conditions.  As of Sunday, Burke had 2

thousand 1 hundred 15 cumulative Covid-19 cases with 1 thousand 7 hundred 42

people recovered.  7 patients are hospitalized.  Catawba County reported 23 new

cases of Covid-19 Sunday for a cumulative total of 2 thousand 6 hundred 37 cases. 

2 thousand two hundred 60 patients have recovered and 13 are hospitalized. 

Caldwell had 7 new cases of Covid-19 of Friday for a cumulative total of 1

thousand 4 hundred 16 cases.  7 hundred 92 cases have recovered.  And

McDowell County had 3 new cases on Friday for a total of 7 hundred 50

cumulative cases.  6 hundred 15 patients have recovered.

Man Arrested for Church Break-In 

A twenty five year old Pineburr Avenue Valdese resident has been arrested in

conjunction with the breaking and entering at Crosslink Church of Rutherford

College on August 25^th.  Nicholas Lee Pearson was charged with felony breaking

and entering to a place of worship and felony larceny after breaking and entering. 

He was given a five thousand dollar secured bond. Two televisions, offering

deposit bags and some items from the Christ Classical Academy were taken during

the break-in.  

Case Closed

The Burke County Sheriff’s Department has closed the case of a reported female

subject who knocked on the door of a Rutherford College resident on August 25th

and claimed to be a police officer.  Detectives were able to locate the person and

car reported in the incident and determined there was no criminal act.  The

Sheriff’s Department, said in a press release, that there is no public risk related to

this incident.

8 Local Residents Sentenced in Drug Ring

8 Catawba Valley residents were sentenced in federal court in Charlotte Friday for

their part in a meth ring in the area that distributed around 45 kilograms of meth

with a street value of 4 million dollars between March and September of 2019.   

34 year old Cheng (Kam) Yang of Claremont, who operated the network, was

sentenced to 15 years in prison and 3 years of supervised release.  Yang’s brother,

35 year old Peng Yang, also of Claremont was given a sentence of 156 months in

prison with 5 years supervised release.  Yang’s younger brother, 21 year old

Nicholas Yang of Claremont, received a sentence of 3 years in prison with 5 years

supervised release.  Yang’s aunt, 37 year old Susan Yang of Claremont, received a

sentence of 42 months in prison with 5 years of supervised release.  Cheng Dawb

Yang, 38 of Morganton, no relation, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and 5

years supervised release.  30 year old Rex Eversole of Morganton was sentenced

to 110 months in prison and 5 years supervised release.  59 year old Belden

Watson of Rutherford College received 97 months in prison and 5 years of

supervised release, and 30 year old Ashley Vaught of Lenoir received a sentence

of 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release.  The drugs were

supplied from California by 31 year old Austin Litchfield of Los Angeles who

received a 12 year sentence with 5 years of supervised release.  27 year old Randy

Martinez of Los Angeles also was sentenced to 48 months in prison and 3 years of

supervised probation.