COVID Death

Burke County Public Health reported a  COVID-19 related death Thursday, bringing the total death count to 162 in Burke since the pandemic started.

 Officials say the individual was in their 40’s and was not hospitalized.

 Recent figures show a total of 10-thousand-229 positives with 245 active cases in Burke, and 9 in the hospital.

 McDowell County reported 3 new positive cases yesterday for a total of 5-thousand-138.

39 residents remain quarantined.

Fugitives Caught

A couple on the run for weeks in connection with local drug charges is now in the McDowell County jail after being apprehended earlier this month in Atlanta.

32-year-old Wesley ‘Clay’ Rhom Junior of NC 226 South Marion is charged by the McDowell Sheriff’s Office with two counts each of trafficking in meth and trafficking in heroin.

He failed to appear for trial on March 1^st, so he was wanted on four additional charges of failure to appear.

Rhom’s wife, 32-year-old Megan Rhom was wanted on one count each of conspiracy to traffic meth and conspiracy to traffic heroin.

Their charges stemmed from a March 2020 incident whenever reports say Clay Rhom attempted to flee from deputies on a motorcycle, wrecked, and was found to possess a substantial amount of meth and heroin.

The couple reportedly left the area sometime in February 2021, prior to Clay’s court date.

The Rhoms were apprehended May 4^th, and transported back to McDowell County May 18^th.

Senior Prank

A reported ‘senior prank’ involving 12 high school students resulted in a Lincoln County school building and buses suffering damages earlier this week.

A news release says officials at East Lincoln High School reported buses and interior areas of the school had been covered with some type sticky substance and glitter.

Foreign objects had also been placed in the HVAC system on the roof of the school.

Damage estimates as a result of the vandalism total 5-thousand dollars.

Yesterday, warrants were issued against the students involved; with seven so far having turned themselves in at the Lincoln magistrate’s office.

Juvenile petitions were drawn on four of the students on Thursday.

Charges range from trespassing, breaking and entering, injury to real property and injury to personal property.

Trench Collapse

A Taylorsville man was killed in a reported trench collapse Wednesday at an Alexander County construction site.

Just before 2 p.m., emergency workers were called to the trench rescue in the parking lot of Big D’s diner and Country Store on Highway 64/90 West.

Reports say 38-year-old Shane Anthony Sharpe was killed in the mishap as crews were working to replace a damaged culvert.

According to officials at the worksite, Sharpe was inside a trench about 10-feet down as dirt and asphalt had fallen onto him.

As rescuers freed him from the trench, CPR was administered but was unsuccessful.

Multiple Alexander County agencies responded to the scene as well as the State Highway Patrol, the NC Department of Labor, and state DOT officials.

The State Occupational Safety and Health Division is investigating; a process that can take up to six months to complete.